The Detroit Pistons had a historic turnaround last season and ended one of the longest playoff droughts in franchise history. Two seasons prior, the Sacramento Kings did the same thing and made the playoffs for the first time in 16 seasons. But the Pistons need to make sure they don’t follow in the Kings’ footsteps at all beyond this.
The Detroit Pistons can't get stuck in mediocrity
In the two seasons since then, the Kings have lost in the play-in tournament both seasons and become one of the mediocre teams in the NBA. They are not exceptionally bad enough to receive high draft picks but also not good enough to genuinely contend for a championship. This realm of NBA purgatory is exactly what every team wants to avoid, and the Pistons will have to be careful that they don’t end up there themselves.
The Kings made a few mistakes to reach their current unenviable position. First, they rested on their laurels after finally making the playoffs and returned mostly the same roster for 2023-24. Many other teams in their conference improved over that offseason, either through new additions, internal growth or returns from injury, but the Kings stayed pat. This contributed to them dropping from the 3rd seed the year prior to the 9th seed despite only having two fewer wins.
The Pistons have also had a quiet offseason so far, but expect more internal growth due to their core being young and the return of Jaden Ivey from injury. Additionally, they have the benefit of playing in a conference that is shaping up to be weaker next season due to a few key injuries.
The Kings have also committed significantly to mid-tier players - guys who could be good as secondary pieces on a high-level team but who are not good enough to get you over the hump as the primary option. Domantas Sabonis falls squarely in this category due to his limitations as a defender and shooter. And somehow the Kings didn’t learn from the eternal mediocrity of the Bulls and chose to run it back with Demar DeRozan and Zach Lavine, two players who have been around the play-in picture for several years in Chicago.
The Pistons fortunately have a franchise cornerstone that figures to exceed the mid-tier soon (if he hasn’t already) in Cade Cunningham. They will need to take care not to upset him to the point of a trade request like the Kings did with De’Aaron Fox. They seem well-positioned to build a contender around Cunningham in the future, but an accurate evaluation of talent and avoiding sentimental attachments to limited players will be key.