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oct 03 2026In three years, the Pistons have gone from 14 wins to 44 and from 44 to 60. No NBA team has grown as much in so little time. Last season they finished first in the East and won the Central Division for the first time since 2008. Still, the summer in Detroit has had a bitter taste: Cleveland dominated Game 7 of the semifinals at home.
Where They Come From: Best in the East, Out in May
The regular season confirmed the project. Cade Cunningham averaged 23.9 points, 9.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds. Jalen Duren made the definitive leap, with 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 65% from the field, and made his first All-Star appearance. The two formed one of the best duos in the league, and Ausar Thompson made the All-Defensive First Team.
In the playoffs, the team struggled from the start. Against the eighth seed, Orlando, Detroit found itself down 1-3 and saved the series in seven games, with 32 points from Cunningham and 30 from Tobias Harris in the clincher. In the semifinals against Cleveland, they won Game 1 but ended up losing the series in Game 7 at home.
The explanation lies in the numbers. NBA.com recalls that the Pistons outscored their opponents by 14.2 points per game in the paint, the second-best differential in the last 30 years. However, from three-point range they allowed 5.0 more points than they scored, and only three teams made fewer three-pointers than them. In the playoffs, with defenses tightening the zone, that weakness weighed much more. Duren, for example, dropped from 19.5 to 10.2 points.
The Offseason: Duren, Finally, and Shooting
Duren's contract negotiation was the summer saga in Detroit. Restricted, he demanded the maximum salary and rejected a $200 million offer that included weight-control clauses. He missed media day and even considered signing the $9.6 million qualifying offer to become a free agent in 2027. With the deadline approaching, this Thursday he accepted five years and $200 million. Ausar Thompson, meanwhile, quietly closed his five-year, $155 million extension.
On the roster, the big bet is Isaiah Joe. He arrives from Oklahoma City to solve the shooting problem: he's been above 40% from three for four straight seasons and last year made 181 three-pointers in just 1,507 minutes. John Collins signs for three years to fill the interior gap, and Taurean Prince and Gary Harris arrive from Milwaukee in exchange for Caris LeVert. Kevin Huerter renewed for three years and $27 million, and from the draft come Ebuka Okorie and Ugonna Onyenso.
The departures sting. Tobias Harris, the team's third-leading scorer and star of Game 7 against Orlando, went to San Antonio. Isaiah Stewart, the best shot-blocker and defensive anchor off the bench, headed to Memphis.
The Rotation
The starting five remains almost intact in its core: Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Duren, with Collins in Harris's spot and Joe or Huerter at shooting guard depending on what each game demands. J.B. Bickerstaff will have Prince, Gary Harris, whichever of the two shooters doesn't start, and Onyenso as backup center on the bench.
Also Read
- Jalen Duren's Standoff with the Pistons
- Pistons Rally Past Orlando to Advance to Semifinals (116-94)
- Harden Rescues Cavs in Overtime Against Detroit (117-113)
The Season's Big Questions
The first is whether Joe and Huerter are enough to open up the floor. If Detroit doesn't punish teams from outside, in April and May defenses will close the zone again like Cleveland did.
The second is Duren after the contract. He has the money now, and must prove he can perform in the playoffs, where his production was cut in half.
The third is interior defense without Stewart. Collins brings offense, but not the intimidation factor Stewart provided.
And there's the East, which has gotten much tougher: the champion Sixers with LeBron and Jaylen Brown, the Cavaliers with a full offseason for Harden, and Miami with Giannis. Repeating 60 wins will be much harder.
The Schedule: Key Dates
Detroit opens the NBA season: on October 20, the first game of the opening triple-header, hosting the Celtics in a matchup between the two top seeds from last season's regular season. A week later they visit the champion in New York, and on November 4 the LeBron-led Sixers arrive. On November 24 they visit Orlando in the NBA Cup, in the rematch of the first round.
On January 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, they host the Cavaliers in the rematch of Game 7. On February 3 they host the Pioneers Classic against the Knicks.
Piratas' Prediction
The Pistons have the best young core in the East, with Cunningham in his prime and two long-term contracts that secure the project. They've improved where it mattered most, shooting, but have lost two significant rotation pieces. Our prediction: between 52 and 56 wins, a top-three seed in the East and a Conference Finals appearance as the goal. Winning in May depends on the three-pointer, more than anything else.
