The Detroit Pistons' season is teetering on the brink

There has been optimism around the Detroit Pistons this season, as they are clearly better than last year’s historically bad team and we have seen improvement from the young players. 

But some of that hopeful wind was knocked out of us by back-to-back blowout losses, one to a shorthanded Philly team, and last night’s disgrace against Milwaukee, as we were reminded that while improved, this team is still a long way from being truly relevant. 

Detroit is currently teetering on the fringes of the play-in, just a half game behind the Pacers for the 10th spot, so they are hanging around in the mediocre Eastern Conference. 

Will it last? We’ll know which direction this team is headed in soon. 

Detroit Pistons schedule: Play-in or more tanking? 

The Pistons may be close to the play-in right now, but they are also just 1.5 games from joining the bottom four in the East, so there is not much wiggle room if they want to stay in the mix. 

That’s not going to be easy given their upcoming schedule, which includes a road game against Boston tonight, the second of another back-2-back game after Cup game, something JB Bickerstaff was right to complain about. 

Assuming the Pistons lose tonight, that will be three in a row and it’s not going to get any easier. Here are their next 10 games including tonight: 

-@Boston 

-@New York 

-@Boston 

-vs. Heat 

-vs. Jazz 

-@Phoenix 

-@LA Lakers 

-@Sacramento 

-@Denver 

-vs. Magic  

This will take them to the New Year, as they play the Magic on January 1st after a brutal stretch that sees them play seven times on the road in 10 games, all of them against good teams. 

There are a few winnable games sprinkled in, and the Pistons will have some time off after tonight’s game against Boston and then after their games against New York, but they could be looking at a six-game losing streak before the Heat come to town. 

The Pistons will be underdogs in all but the game against the Jazz, and there is a very good chance they will be 11-22 at the end of this 10-game stretch. 

At that point, talk of the play-in will start to transition to the 2025 NBA Draft and the Pistons will be far more likely to trade off veteran players before the February deadline. 

Detroit can fend off this inevitability with a few unlikely wins to keep themselves close, but it’s not hyperbole to say their season is hanging in the balance.