The Detroit Pistons won’t have to wait long to find out what they are made of in the 2024-25 season.
They were gifted a brutal early schedule that begins the season with six games against six of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
They will start against the Indiana Pacers, one of last season’s Eastern Conference Finalists and then go to the Cleveland Cavaliers, a tough road game against another playoff team.
They play the defending-champion Boston Celtics at home before two tough road games against the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers before coming back home to play the new-look Knicks, another favorite to win the conference.
Six games aren’t going to decide the season, but these early matchups against the elite of the East could give the Pistons some valuable experience and momentum or start them down a familiar path.
Let’s start with the nightmare scenario and end with some hope.
The here-we-go-again scenario
The worst thing that could happen is that the Pistons lose these first six games. After suffering through a historic losing streak last season, the last thing these young players need is to feel like it’s starting all over again.
This would be especially true if the games aren’t competitive and the Pistons are struggling, as they don’t have a history of winning or consistency to fall back on. Again, six games aren’t going to decide the season even if the Pistons lose them all, but a start like that would immediately turn the narrative negative for the fans and players alike.
The feisty losers
There is a chance the Pistons lose most or all of the first six games but look good doing it. These are the top teams they are playing and Detroit will be underdogs in every game, so this can be more about how they look losing.
Give us wire-to-wire defensive effort, close games, chances to win in clutch time with solid performances from the young players and losing won’t look as bad. It would at least set a tone of competitiveness for the season.
The surprise team
The good news about being expected to lose is that you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The best-case scenario is that the Pistons steal wins against the Pacers, Cavaliers and/or Heat and then surprise a team like the Celtics, 76ers or Knicks.
It may not matter much to Boston, but a home win against them could be season-defining for the Pistons, as they would get a little swagger, some assurance things are getting better and the confidence to know they can beat the best teams.
Maybe Tobias Harris will go off in front of hostile fans in Philly (how great would that be?) or a surprise player like Jaden Ivey hangs a 40-spot on someone, but the Pistons have a chance to build some real early momentum by not only being competitive, but winning a few of these early games.
The Pistons will have a chance to recover from this brutal stretch, and getting a few early wins isn’t going to guarantee anything for the season, but we’ll learn a lot about what type of team we’re going to get this year from the first six games.