The Detroit Pistons tipped off their 2024-25 season with media day yesterday and there was plenty to talk about.
But first I’d like to start where the team started, which is by saying RIP to Dikembe Mutombo who died way too young. He was a favorite to watch back in the day, was always smiling and was as many have said, a global ambassador for the game. He’ll be missed.
Media day was mostly more of the same for the hapless Pistons, who gave the standard nods to “Detroit basketball” and how they are going to turn things around. What else did you expect? They were hardly going to say, “this is another placeholder team, so we hope to win just enough games to keep fans satisfied, but not so many that we lose our 2025 pick, but we’ll be good in three years!”
Aside from all the platitudes, there were some interesting things said at media day, so here are the six most important quotes. I gathered these from Omari Sankofa II, who is a must-follow for Pistons fans.
Most important quotes from Detroit Pistons media day
#1: "We’re supporting him as much as possible and just waiting for the resolution from the NBA and the PA. We’re excited and look forward to having Ausar back. This time I just can’t say any more to that as we’re just looking for a resolution to that process...He's allowed to do conditioning, strength training and non-contact drills."
Ut oh. This was in response to a question about Ausar Thompson and his blood clots and the Detroit Free Press later confirmed that Thompson will be out for the entirety of training camp.
Even if this is just cautionary, it has to concern the Pistons, as Thompson is probably their 2nd-most important prospect and a guy they are counting on heavily this season. The Pistons have been riddled with injuries the last several seasons, with at least one young player missing significant time every year.
This will be a massive worry until we see Ausar Thompson on the floor, which won’t likely be until the regular season.
#2: "It was hard for me to get a good amount of load running because it would flare up, my bones. This summer I didn’t have that, so it was nice to be able to work and push myself further than I have since high school."
This was Cade Cunningham talking about the shin issue that he had surgically repaired. This will now be his second season post-surgery and it sounds as if he is finally fully healthy.
Conditioning has certainly been an issue for Cade, whether it is leaving shots short late in games or not being able to go all out on defense.
Players are always the healthiest, strongest blah blah blah this time of year, so again, this is something we have to see on the court, but hopefully this will result in Cade Cunningham playing more than 64 games for the first time in his career.
#3: "There’s only one Luka Doncic, but I definitely see a little bit in Cade — his height, how strong he is with the ball playing against him. He has what it takes. There’s no Luka, but he can damn near be close."
I found this response from Tim Hardaway Jr. interesting, as he is joining the Pistons have playing most of the last six seasons with Luka Doncic in Dallas.
Cade has often been compared to Luka, mostly just because they are tall point guards, but this is the year Cunningham has to embrace some of Luka's other qualities, namely scoring more efficiently.
Doncic shot 49 percent from the floor last season and over 38 percent from long range on over 10 attempts per game. These are the types of numbers Cade needs to put up next season for him to make the All-Star team and lead the Pistons to better days.
Another area where Cade Cunningham needs to be more like Luka is getting to the free-throw line. Luka attempted 8.7 free throws per game last season, nearly double Cade’s 4.4.
Part of this is that Cunningham doesn’t get the same whistle, but that’s something he has to work on, as he has the size to make free throws a weapon for himself.
There’s only one Luka, and if Cade ever evolved into a perpetual MVP candidate, Detroit would be dancing, but there are areas in which he needs to sharpen up his game to get closer to that status.
#4: "I know amongst our peers, amongst other teams we’re not respected based on last season. This season, we’re coming in to demand and earn that respect. We’re playing grit basketball and we’re playing strong. At the end of the day, we’re playing Detroit Basketball."
Hahahah, there it is! The obligatory “Detroit Basketball” quote! Didn’t have to wait long to get this one from Isaiah Stewart.
Firstly, the Pistons are not disrespected from last season alone, as they’ve been terrible for five straight and haven’t won a playoff game since 2008, so let's not act like this was just a one-off.
I also find it funny that the guy talking about "grit" and “playing strong” has only played 96 games the last two seasons combined. For reference, Bill Laimbeer missed a total of SIX GAMES from 1982-1993 playing for the Pistons.
That’s what grit looks like.
No one on this current team has shown it, and until they do, it is nothing more than talk.
#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.
#6: "The Tigers made the playoffs. The Lions made some noise last year, and are this year as well. We want to be that team. The city is changing and we want to make a push this season and play the best ball we can every time we step on the floor."
Jaden Ivey brought up something I have talked about, which is the hope that some of the success and momentum from the other teams in Detroit will rub off on the Pistons.
Let’s face it, the Pistons have often played in front of sparse, disinterested crowds over the last five seasons and you can’t blame them, as the team has given them painfully little reason to be excited.
But Detroit is one of the best sports towns in America, with die-hard fans who will turn up when the team gives them a reason to. The crowds at Tigers games recently have been electric, and that’s the kind of atmosphere the Pistons could be paying in front of if they just win some games.
Detroit has routinely been in the middle of the pack in recent years when it comes to attendance and that’s with the worst team in the NBA taking the floor. Start winning and those crowds will show up and be a force.
You have championship fans, Pistons, and it’s time for the team to step up and match that energy.