The Detroit Pistons went through a cycle of shame last season during their epic losing streak, from laughing stock, to the team people started to pity, to the one no one wanted to lose to.
It ended in 28 straight losses, an NBA record for a single season, and 14 total wins, a franchise worst and good for last place in the league.
The Pistons have gone 94-290 over the past five seasons, not exactly a team other squads are going to fear, and in fact, it’s been just the opposite.
Teams have used the Pistons as a rest night, a way to get their stars a game off, either sitting them outright or using them less in an effort to get their role players more reps and confidence.
Jaylen Brown said as much in a recent interview in which he talked about how the Celtics have used the Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: Building confidence around the NBA!
Brown mentioned the Pistons specifically when talking about how the Celtics like to use the bad teams to get reps and confidence for their bench players:
Jaylen Brown:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) September 24, 2024
"A night we playing, don't mean to disrespect them but, the Detroit Pistons who have struggled over the last year or two, we gonna play through Payton, let him go for 30. Play through Sam, let him shoot 10 threes tonight. We gonna still win the game" pic.twitter.com/t1Cgu6lgdI
Brown wasn’t being disrespectful here, and it is difficult to feel disrespected by the truth anyway.
The Celtics have beaten the Pistons nine straight times and both Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser have had some big games in that span.
Hauser went for 24, 15 and 14, well above his career averages, in three wins over Detroit dating back to 2022.
Pritchard has actually suffered some losses against the Pistons, as Detroit defeated Boston in three out of his first four games against them. But it’s been nothing but wins since, and Pritchard had big games of 23 points, 7 assists and 20/9 in two wins over Detroit last season.
It’s a sad truth that teams can get wins against the Pistons without playing their best guys and allowing their role players to go off.
In my lifetime, the Pistons have gone from a team the entire league dreaded playing to one they look forward to as a night off, or if you are role player, as a chance for a big scoring night.
True or not, this should provide some bulletin board fodder for the Pistons, who hope to finally rise from the doormat of the league next season.
It would be nice to break the losing streak against Boston and to once again be a team that other teams don’t enjoy playing.
Detroit has a lot of work to do to get back to respectability, and until they do, the Pistons will be the go-to example of a “struggling” team that others can use to get their stars some rest.