The Detroit Pistons are approaching the NBA record for consecutive losses. The last time Detroit won in the third game of the season on Oct. 28 against the Chicago Bulls. Since then, the Pistons have dropped 25 straight games. The record for consecutive losses in a single season is 26 games (set by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers), and the record for consecutive losses for any franchise is 28 by the 2014-15 Sixers.
Detroit blew what might have been its best chance for a win by losing to the Utah Jazz, 119-111, at home on Thursday. Utah entered at 10-18 overall and didn’t have their four of their best players available, with Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, Keyonte George, and Talen Horton-Tucker all missing the game due to injury. The Jazz still ran the Pistons anyway.
Pistons fans gave ownership a piece of its mind during the fourth quarter as the Jazz were securing the win. As the clock ticked away, Detroit fans charted “sell the team” loudly on the way to a 25th straight loss.
Cade Cunningham, the former No. 1 overall pick who was supposed to be Detroit’s franchise player, looked devastated walking off the floor after another inefficient night.
Cunningham leads the NBA in both missed shots and turnovers so far this year. Two things can be true: Detroit has done a horrible job putting him a position to succeed, and Cunningham just hasn’t met expectations yet now mid-way through his third season (he played only 12 games last year due to injury).
The Pistons have so many problems right now. New head coach Monty Williams — armed with the richest coaching contract in NBA history — has made some bizarre lineup decisions: he started Killian Hayes over Jaden Ivey for far too long despite the former’s total inability to shoot, and he has a maddening dedication to playing two big lineups. The Pistons are getting crushed from the three-point line every game, ranking dead-last in both three-point rate (percentage of field goal attempts taken from three) and three-point percentage (33.2). The crunched floor has only exasperated Cunningham’s turnover problems.
Injuries to veterans Monte Morris, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Joe Harris have taken away key floor spacers and veteran mentors. Jalen Duren’s progress has been a bit halted by injury, and Ausar Thompson’s total inability to shoot makes him a tough fit in the lineups Williams is playing despite his historic activity on the glass and on defense for a rookie.
The Pistons haven’t won a playoff series since 2008. The promise of this era of the rebuild is quickly going away. It’s hard to blame the fans for wanting to see anything else but this.
