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The Detroit Pistons faced a challenging period, losing 28 consecutive games and a total of 68 games in the 2024 season. However, they have since turned their fortunes around, becoming a remarkable turnaround story in the NBA.
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Mar 19, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) celebrates with forward Tim Hardaway Jr. (8), forward Tobias Harris (12) and other teammates after scoring the game-winning basket against the Miami Heat during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
âIn basketball, itâs never been this hard for me to win games.â
Those words embodied the frustrations of Pistons star Cade Cunningham back in 2024 when he spoke with former NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski on his podcast, The Woj Pod.
Cunninghamâs young squad had just endured a brutal two-month stretch in which they lost 28 games in a row. They lost 65 games the prior season and went on to lose 68 that year. To say the future of Detroit basketball looked grim would be an understatement.Â
Two years since Cunningham asserted those words, his team has secured the No. 1 seed in the East. The Pistons have amassed 60 wins, more than they had in the first three seasons of the Cade Cunningham era combined. The stunning turnaround has come as a surprise to many, but Cunningham believed the tides would eventually turn.
From the outside looking in, it may appear as though the turnaround came out of nowhere. But the secrets to their best regular season since 2006 are far more nuanced than an overnight bout of luck.
The Detroit Pistons struggled with team performance and injuries, leading to a challenging two-month stretch with no wins.
The Pistons lost a total of 68 games during the 2024 NBA season.
Cade Cunningham is the star player of the Detroit Pistons.
Cade Cunningham expressed that it has been extremely difficult for him to win games, reflecting the team's struggles.

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The foundation of any successful organization begins in the front office. Following their disappointing 2024 season, the Pistons hired new President of Basketball Operations, Trajan Langdon. Langdon was responsible for parting ways with then-coach Monty Williams, bringing along former Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff to replace him.
The team went 108-56 (regular season record) in the two seasons since he was brought in.Â
Coach Bickerstaff credits Langdon as an integral factor in choosing to accept the coaching gig in Detroit.
âI donât know if even Trajan knows this,â Bickerstaff said, âbut he was a major part of the selling point for the job.â
âHis personality. His character. His thought process and logic. The plan that he had in place about where to go and how he wanted to get there â that was the most important thing to me.â
Not only was Langdonâs vision for the franchiseâs future essential in swaying Bickerstaff, but so was his determination to foster connections outside of basketball.
âAnd then his want to have a genuine relationship with me beyond basketball and be a true partner in building this thing,â Bickerstaff added of Langdonâs pitch.
Following Bickerstaffâs hiring, he earned the trust and respect of his top players. Jalen Duren and Cunningham highlight his presence as the driving force behind the energy in the team.
â(He) has established a culture,â Duren said. âHe established an expectation for how he wanted us to play, and what he wanted the team to look like⊠When he came in as a proven coach, he fit the characteristics of the guys in the locker room, first and foremost. And from there it just kind of took off.â
Langdon prioritized making sure that Cunningham was surrounded by the right pieces to complement his game. Notable acquisitions that Langdon secured include 3-and-D player Tim Hardaway Jr. (now a Denver Nugget), veteran Tobias Harris and sharpshooter Duncan Robinson.Â
Cunningham has specifically praised Harris for being a high example of what a professional looks like.Â
âFor one, I mean, heâs just a class act more than anything,â Cunningham praised . âThe way he carries himself. His professionalism. The way he takes care of his body, goes about his work, is an inspiration to all the young guys.â
Having a 15-year vet alongside him has offered a calm, steady presence in a locker room full of young players.
âObviously, he has a ton of playoff experience and winning experience. So when he came in, I think that was the biggest thing for us was just having somebody on the floor with us all the time that brought so much experience and so much poise in big gamesâŠâ
The leadership from the other guys helped hold the fort down when their star player missed time. Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung on March 17 against the Wizards, forcing him to miss 11 games.Â
Harris knew the team needed to kick it up another gear to ensure they didnât skip a beat.
âWe didnât take the backseat mentality,â he explained. âI was like, letâs go show everybody we can ball. Letâs go show everybody what our style is made of. We continued to preach it every day.â
The supporting castâs play in the absence of Cunningham helped the Pistons maintain the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The team went 8-3 without him, with two of those losses coming in overtime.
Jalen Duren averaged 22 points and 10.4 rebounds, while guard Daniss Jenkins averaged 18.9 points to go with 7.6 assists.
Duren has been one of the leagueâs top finishers at the rim this season in terms of points added, ranking third in the NBA.Â
The Pistons have thrived this season because of their ability to play both sides of the ball. They rank in the top 10 in both defensive and offensive rating, second and ninth, respectively.
They were third in field goal percentage, and led the NBA in steals and blocks. Their proficiency on defense can be heavily attributed to defensive standout Ausar Thompson, who led the league in steals.
 Moreover, they are first in the league in turnovers forced and opponent three-point percentage. Against the Pistons, opponents shoot 34.5% from beyond the arc and average 16.9 times turnovers.
The teamâs three-point shooting has been particularly essential in pulling out games without Cunningham. They shot 38.3% in the 11 games without him. Whatâs more is that in those eight Detroit victories, they went 41% from three, compared to 33% in their three losses.Â
There is no replacement for Cunninghamâs production, but the team relied on the entire committee to hang on without him. In a playoff setting, others will need to step up to help the 24-year-old.Â
The Knicks went full throttle at Cunningham last postseason, aggressively guarding him and forcing others to beat them. If that series was any indication of the pressure Cunningham can expect this playoffs, he will need all the help he can get.Â
The franchiseâs revival is a testament to not just their talent but the strong chemistry within the locker room. The same characteristic that attracted Bickerstaff to the Pistons â Langdonâs commitment to developing relationships â has trickled down to his players.Â
Pistons guard Caris LeVert described the teamâs close-knit bond as similar to that of an AAU team. Through the dog days of an NBA season, the group spends ample time together away from the hardwood.
âThis is probably the closest team Iâve been on off the court. The guys just hanging out and kicking it, and so I think that translates to the court as well,â LeVert said.
âObviously, we do a lot of things together, so the stuff that we do off the court just translates like a family, you know? Itâs not always perfect, and guys get into it sometimes, but we all have a common goal, and we have respect for each other to know what weâre trying to do.â
The goal LeVert refers to is the coveted Larry OâBrien, which ESPN gives them the seventh-best odds to attain. To reach the NBA pinnacle, they will need their head of the snake at his best: Cunningham.
Perhaps the largest reason why the Pistons have far exceeded expectations is because of MotorCade, as the city affectionately calls him. Cunninghamâs belief in the organization to figure things out â even in the toughest of times â facilitated the Pistonsâ overhaul in the summer of 2024.
Months after he spoke to Woj about the uncertain state of the franchise, he affirmed his unwavering commitment by re-signing with them. He stood steadfast in his belief in the franchiseâs future through the darkest moments when he had every reason not to. He never deflected blame or pointed fingers.Â
His loyalty and dedication showed Pistons owner Tom Gores just the kind of person and player he is.
âWhat I saw in Cade is not something you just see on the court. He embraced the adversity; he didnât put it on anybody else. He took his own accountability,â he said.
âPart of the reason I didnât blink is he didnât blink. He didnât start like, âOh, geez, Detroit.â He was all in.â
On the court, his stellar performance has fans ecstatic that the NBA deemed him eligible for postseason awards. He played in only 64 games this season, one shy of the minimum required to qualify. However, after the NBPA and NBA agreed that Cunninghamâs lung collapse fell under âextraordinary circumstances,â they overturned the initial ruling of ineligibility. Before his lung collapse, Cunningham was among the top of the MVP race.
The two-time All-Star put up 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds 9.9 assists per game, a near double double, on 46.1% from the field. His 9.9 assists rank second in the NBA. He has also taken on the challenge of being a two-way player, stepping up defensively. His ability to make plays, defend, and score makes him a versatile threat to any opponent.Â
Cunningham boasted the second highest net rating this season (minimum 30 minutes a game), only behind reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He also led Detroit to a 27-15 record in clutch games, the fourth-highest win percentage among all 30 teams.Â
When the schedule got difficult, the Pistons showed why theyâre at the top of the league. Against the 10 toughest opponents, the Pistons were first in net rating, going 17-7 against those teams.
The young group has proven theyâre ready for redemption from last yearâs early playoff exit. And theyâve shown every reason to believe that last season was just the beginning.
Cunningham and the Pistons have come a long way since his conversation with Woj. He no longer drives home from games ruminating over his teamâs struggles to win one game. After weathering a losing stretch, which he called âone of the most humbling experiences of my life,â he now finds his squad facing a new challenge. This time, however, it is one he is thrilled to take on.Â
The Pistons are excited to build off of last yearâs surprise postseason appearance. They are slated to play their first playoff game of the season on April 19, against the yet-to-be-determined winner of the eighth seed. Detroit will have homecourt advantage the entirety of the Eastern Conference playoffs, something that hasnât happened in two decades.Â
They have a few days to bask in the jubilation of the history they made this season before getting back to work. They can enjoy this moment for now and reminisce on all the blood, sweat, and tears it took to reach a point that seemed unfathomable two years ago. Still, the team isnât satisfied with what theyâve accomplished.
As Cunningham put it, âItâs been a great regular season; now itâs time for the real fun.â
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