Previewing The 2024-25 Detroit Pistons
August 29th, 2024
by Alan Lu
The Detroit Pistons are coming off a really bad season in which they finished as the worst team in the NBA, and they only ended up with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 draft despite that. This time around, they hired Trajan Langdon to run their operations, they fired head coach Monty Williams, and they hired JB Bickerstaff to be their new head coach. This time around, they made some upgrades, and they were able to get Tobias Harris and Paul Reed to join their team, as well as a slew of talented young players to join Cade Cunningham to help the Pistons try to vie for a play-in tournament bid in the East for the 2024-25 season.
Cade Cunningham played terrific basketball for the Select Team against Team USA in the scrimmages last summer, he signed an 5-year, $224 million max rookie extension this summer, and he will hope to carry that positive momentum into the Detroit Pistons’ season this year.
(Photo: Rick Osentoski/USA Today Sports, via On3.com)
Cade Cunningham will be their go-to player for the upcoming season, and they will depend on him, Tobias Harris, and other young players to make gains to build on their skills for this season. After winning just 14 games last season, it’s likely that they will still finish near the bottom of the standings, but the Pistons should be slightly more competitive than last season.
Star Players:
None
The Detroit Pistons may not quite have any star players for the upcoming season, but they are getting there. Cade Cunningham is a tall ball handler that has shown great potential and promise. He has been oft-injured in the NBA, but he put together a solid third season in the NBA. He also played really well for the US Select Team in a scrimmage game against the US last year, and he was praised by Golden State Warriors and Team USA head coach Steve Kerr. He will still need to improve his defense, but Cunningham looks to be the surest bet to become the Pistons’ star in the future.
Also, Tobias Harris signed with the Pistons in the offseason, and he’s been a solid veteran presence that can score in a variety of ways, and a solid case can be made for Cunningham and Harris to be included on the star players’ list. Jalen Duren is a very athletic rim protector that could develop into a star if he can diversify his offensive game.
Additions:
F Tobias Harris, F-C Paul Reed, G Malik Beasley, G Tim Hardaway Jr., F Ron Holland, F-C Bobi Klintman, G-F Wendell Moore Jr.
They added a lot of veterans to stabilize their team, and Tobias Harris was a big addition this season, with Holland being an important addition to fuel them for the future. He’ll provide a significant scoring punch and can give them a plus-level defender. Paul Reed will give them a high-motor big man that will excel with his rim running and rim protection skills on this team. Beasley and Hardaway can provide some shooting and scoring. They also added a pair of high-upside rookies in Holland and Klintman that could really help them in the future.
Subtractions:
G-F Quentin Grimes, G-F Troy Brown Jr., F-C Chimezie Metu, C James Wiseman, G-F Evan Fournier, G Malachi Flynn, G-F Stanley Umude, and F-C Taj Gibson
They let various players go from previous teams, and Grimes was the biggest loss, as he has excelled as a 3 and D role player in this league. Other players let go had varying contributions, as Wiseman was a former second overall pick, Evan Fournier is a scoring swingman that played for Team France in the 2024 Olympics, and Malachi Flynn had a stunning 50 point performance on the Pistons’ last season.
Rookies:
F Ron Holland, F-C Bobi Klintman, and G Daniss Jenkins
Ron Holland is a tremendously athletic forward that excels as a downhill driver and is a rangy defender, but he will really need to improve his outside shot, and he boasts having a great upside as a player in this league. Klintman is an athletic stretch big that could see some minutes this year, and his shooting capabilities and versatility could enable him to contend for a backend rotation spot, and Jenkins is a skilled point guard that also could end seeing some run on this Pistons team.
Expected Rotation:
Tobias Harris is a skilled combo forward that will help stabilize the Pistons’ team this season.
(Photo: Carlos Osorio/Associated Press, via The Detroit News)
The Pistons have added an experienced, solid starter in Harris to add to their group of young players that will look to break out and surprise teams this season, as they will rebuild around Cade Cunningham. This year, they signed a steady veteran in experienced forward, Tobias Harris, who could shoulder the weight of the scoring load this year. It will be a big year to see if they can move forward and build some momentum for their future.
Projected Starting Lineup:
Key Bench Players:
Ausar Thompson had a decent rookie season, and though he got hurt at the end of last season and still needs to significantly improve his jump shot, he is a very athletic, defensive-minded swingman that could develop into a rising star in the future. (Photo: Carlos Osorio/Associated Press, via WXYZ)
The Pistons have some solid bench players, and they made some moves to fortify and retool their roster. They claimed Paul Reed off waivers, who will add defense, energy, and efficient play to their team off the bench. Ausar Thompson is a very athletic, rangy swingman whose playmaking skills and defensive versatility makes him one of the most intriguing players on Detroit’s team. The Pistons are still going to likely take on a developmental mindset, so they may opt to build up their young players perhaps at the expense of wins.
F-C Paul Reed
G-F Ausar Thompson
The Rest of the Roster:
G-F Tim Hardaway Jr.
F Tosan Evbuomwan (Two-Way)
G Daniss Jenkins (Two-Way)
Team Options at the End of the 2025 Season:
Here I will project the likelihood of the Pistons to pick up and accept or decline the team options for various players at the end of the 2025 season.
Jalen Duren – Team Option Will Likely Be Accepted (100% Certainty)
Jaden Ivey – Team Option Will Likely Be Accepted (100% Certainty)
Ausar Thompson – Team Option Will Likely Be Accepted (100% Certainty)
Marcus Sasser – Team Option Will Likely Be Accepted (100% Certainty)
Wendell Moore Jr. – Team Option Will Likely Be Declined (80-90% Certainty)
Head Coach:
Hiring JB Bickerstaff was a very good move for Detroit, and he should do a much better job than how Monty Williams fared last year, as the Pistons could contend for the up for grabs, tenth spot in the play-in tournament in 2025. (Photo: Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press)
J.B. Bickerstaff
2023-24 (CLE): 48-34, 5-7 in the NBA Playoffs
Coaching Career: 255-290, 7-15 in the NBA Playoffs
J.B. Bickerstaff had been coaching some solid Cleveland Cavaliers’ teams, as he helped lead them to the playoffs for several years now. After being unceremoniously fired after their second round playoff exit to a much better and more well-rounded Boston Celtics’ team, Bickerstaff was able to find a new home to be an NBA head coach, and he will provide the Pistons with some much needed stability, especially after Monty Williams’ disastrous 14-68 stint in which he played Killian Hayes over a thousand minutes before Troy Weaver and company decided to waive Hayes to prevent Monty from playing more Hayes. Bickerstaff is a solid coach, and the Pistons will benefit from having him around.
NBA Head Coach Rank: 16
Outlook:
The Pistons will hope this season will be their path to respectability, and at least they’ll have a healthy Cade Cunningham and head coach Monty Williams to lead them. However, the road to competitiveness on a consistent basis could be a hard one for them this season.
(Photo: Maria Lysaker/USA Today Sports, via Sports Illustrated)
Not much may be expected from the Pistons this season, especially since they are coming off of a season in which they finished with the worst record in the NBA last year. That said, they have just hired proven head coach JB Bickerstaff to lead the helm, they signed Tobias Harris, and Cade Cunningham looked like a future superstar at the US Select Team’s scrimmage against Team USA last summer, and was a bright spot on last year’s 14-68 basketball team. They also have a slew of talented young players that could really excel in the future. The Pistons might go through growing pains this year, but even so, they have a bright future ahead of them.
Projected 2024-25 Finish:
Expected Win-Loss Record: 29-53
Projected Regular Season Finish: 14th in the Eastern Conference
Expected Playoff Finish: Projected to miss the playoffs
Preseason NBA Power Ranking: 28
I went to Basketball-Reference and SalarySwish to look up some information for this write-up. It will be an exciting basketball season this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing the in-season tournament to see how that will unfold. Anyways, that is my write-up on my preview of the 2024-25 Detroit Pistons. Thanks for reading.