It won’t take long for the Detroit Pistons to be tested in the 2025-26 season. After the devastating news that Jaden Ivey will be out for at least a month, the Pistons are already starting the season shorthanded but also face a brutal first week that will test their resolve.
Detroit will start the season on the road against Chicago, who is also missing a shooting guard, as Coby White has been ruled out for a couple of weeks at least. Both he and Ivey are playing for big contracts next season so it’s not an ideal start for either of them, nor their respective teams, who will have to move on without them.
The Pistons then go to Houston to face a Rockets team that has title aspirations after trading for Kevin Durant, a player who has traditionally dominated Detroit, averaging over 30 points per game against them in his career.
The Pistons then have a trio of home games against the Cetics (who will be tough even without Tatum), Cavaliers (the best team in the Eastern Conference last season) and the Orlando Magic, who added Desmond Bane to an already good team. No easy games there.
The Pistons finish the week in Mexico City against the Dallas Mavericks, so Detroit has six of its first seven games against teams with real aspirations this season and then the Bulls, who won’t be an easy win on opening night on their home floor. Four of the seven are on the road, including one game in a foreign country.
It’s not the type of stretch you want to start a season without one of your starters, but it will be a chance for Cade Cunningham and the Pistons to show they are for real.
Detroit Pistons’ team chemistry will be tested
The Pistons didn’t extend Ivey or Jalen Duren, so now have three starters on expiring contracts, something we have to hope isn’t another distraction.
But even with all of this hanging over them, the Pistons can improve their chemistry and confidence by having a strong start against some of the best teams in the league, including several they are likely to be fighting for position in the standings.
A strong start shows they can continue to win without Jaden Ivey, but will also give them a boost knowing that he’ll be back and the schedule will lighten up after the first week, with games against the Grizzlies, Jazz, Nets, 76ers and Wizards to follow.
If the Pistons can emerge from this first week with a winning record, it can set the tone for the season and announce to the league that last year wasn’t a fluke.