#5: "It’s an honor being the longest-tenured Piston. It’s a lot to say of how I carry myself and how I try my best to represent the organization in the best fashion and represent Detroit in the best fashion as well."
Isaiah Stewart, who was drafted in 2020, is now the longest-tenured Pistons player. This says a lot about a team that has not been able to build a sustainable winner in more than a decade.
There has been no continuity, with a new cast of past-their-prime veterans and rookies joining the “core” every season. Even the “core” has changed several times, as it started with a group that included Saben Lee, Saddiq Bey and Killian Hayes, guys who are no longer on the team.
There is constant roster churn in the NBA, so that is not unique to the Pistons, but when you look at the best teams, they have a core group that has played together for many seasons, building chemistry and growing as a unit.
The Pistons have not had that, with a constant fluctuation of players on an off the roster and a new starting lineup practically every night. It’s not likely to change anytime soon, as the veterans they have acquired are all on short-term deals and some of the young players will likely be traded.