The Pistons hope to follow the path of another young team
There was a time when the Detroit Pistons were on pace with all of the other young rebuilds in the NBA.
If you look back to the 2020-21 season, the Pistons were among the six worst teams in the NBA with 20 wins, with the other five teams being the Houston Rockets (17), Orlando Magic (21), Cleveland Cavaliers (22), OKC Thunder (22) and Minnesota Timberwolves (23).
One of these things is not like the others.
While all five of the other rebuilds are now at least play-in teams expected to make the playoffs next season or even compete for a title, the Pistons are still stuck at the bottom of the standings.
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There are many reasons why those other teams’ rebuilds went faster, namely that they all had stars to trade to kickstart things. Splash in the incompetence of Troy Weaver and you have a Pistons team that has moved in the wrong direction since then while all of the others have improved.
The one team on the list that is most like the Pistons is the Rockets and Detroit hopes to follow the path they are currently on.
The Detroit Pistons and the Houston Rockets
It wasn’t long ago that the Houston Rockets were one of the bottom feeders of the NBA, as they won just 22 games in 2022-23, five more than the Pistons.
Like Detroit, Houston had a young roster without any good veterans on it.
The Rockets won 41 games last season, so what changed?
While Troy Weaver was adding completely washed players like Joe Harris to his team in the offseason, the Rockets added real talent in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. These two veteran additions were enough to propel them into contention for the playoffs last season, as it pushed their young guys into more suitable roles and took some of the pressure off them.
Could the same happen for the Pistons?
Cade Cunningham is arguably the best player on the two rosters, but he’s had painfully little help. While Tobias Harris may not be as good as VanVleet, he’s going to provide a consistent shooting presence that Cunningham has not had.
Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. can supply real shooting threats that the Pistons have not had, which should not only make things easier for Cade, but also Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson, who will have more room to operate.
No one thought the Rockets would win over 40 games last season, but they surprised the league when their new veterans meshed with their young players, helping their development while also making a move in the standings.
The same could happen for the Pistons next season, and while it’s unlikely they win 40+ games, they could make a Houston-like leap now that they finally have some veterans who can play flanking their young talent.
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