Detroit Pistons show fundamental change is still needed as NBA trade deadline approaches
Looking at the Detroit Pistons' record, it’s hard to believe there has been any semblance of momentum at any point this season. But heading into Saturday, the team appeared to be figuring some things out.
They had won two of their previous five games — defeating fellow two bottom-dwellers in the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets, and exchanging blows with contenders in the Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks (twice). Their offense was finally clicking, with the ninth-best offensive rating in the NBA in that stretch at 119.3.
The Pistons were turning the ball over less and shooting it better, defending with more discipline, and looking more cohesive — an accomplishment for a team that suffered a record 28-game losing streak this season. The bar for improvement was low, but they were clearing it.
Saturday brought a chance to put a stamp on that improvement, as Cade Cunningham returned from an eight-game absence against a Washington Wizards team that they defeated on the road less than two weeks prior. With that and Monte Morris’ season debut three days prior, the Pistons didn’t have a player on the injury report Saturday.
Their first game with full health wasn’t the party they hoped for.
The Pistons (5-40) collapsed at home late against the Wizards (8-37), outscored 31-15 in the final 11 minutes for a 118-104 loss. It was the second time this season Washington marched into Little Caesars Arena and left with a double-digit win. The Pistons turned the ball over 17 times and were crushed soundly in second chance points (21-10) and fastbreak points (20-6).
It was, quite simply, an effort loss. There has already been far too many of them this season. With the Feb. 8 trade deadline less than two weeks away, Saturday’s loss brings the same question that has been top-of-mind for fans and onlookers for weeks — when will change come?
If there was a remaining excuse for the Pistons' poor season, it has been their uneven health. The loss was yet more proof the roster issues are deep and won’t be easily fixed.
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The team is actively scanning the market for help, and their Jan. 14 cap space-clearing trade with the Wizards is a precursor for the moves to come. What isn’t clear is when such moves will happen. They have the space for roughly two high-impact players, and prioritized creating that space early to signal their readiness.
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Whether the front office maneuvers now to help a disaster of a season finish on a more positive note, or settles for taking licks through the next 37 games to make deals over the summer, remains to be seen. But Saturday’s loss was another sign, in a season that has provided plenty of them, the rebuild needs a serious boost despite being in its fourth year under general manager Troy Weaver.
“We got outworked tonight,” coach Monty Williams said after the Wizards loss. “Not that we didn’t work hard, they just worked so much harder. They had 20 fastbreak points, I believe. We hadn’t been in that world, giving up 20 fastbreak points, 16 offensive rebounds, and then the turnovers. That’s a bad combination.
“This is not a game where I can complain about officiating. We have more free throws. This team is not a team that gets outworked and I thought we got outworked tonight. It’s an NBA skill to be able to flush what you need to but learn the formula and keep it as far as getting ready for tomorrow, because we can’t come out with that kind of energy and expect to win a game.”
Detroit’s bad habits, which had been receding in recent weeks, reappeared Saturday. Cunningham was responsible for seven of the 17 turnovers in his first game since Jan. 7 after a left knee strain. Whether it was due to rust or regression remains to be seen, but he helped the Wizards almost as much as he did his own team in his return, in which he also tallied 20 points (7-for-17 shooting) and 12 assists.
The third-year guard led the NBA in total turnovers through the first month of the season. Since December, he’d fallen to 18th in turnovers per game. His mood had lightened in the games before he injured his knee, with the losing streak in the rearview and his play improving.
When asked if he had any individual positives after this game, he listed his improved health.
There wasn’t much to praise beyond that.
“They had 16 offensive rebounds,” he said. “We killed them on the glass last game. They definitely outworked us tonight. Transition, just gave up way too many open layups. Didn’t get back. Part of that is through live ball turnovers. I had too many turnovers and it’s hard to come back from things like that.”
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The Pistons, once on pace to surpass the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers in fewest wins for a season, are now on pace to tie the record with nine. History remains on the line. While the record shouldn’t be the sole motivator to make a roster move, it would be another black eye on a season that already has forced the front office and ownership to re-evaluate its team-building approach.
Owner Tom Gores promised change — some sort of change — when he spoke Dec. 22. A month later, the front office and coaching staff remain intact. The lone roster change was an exchange of role players. And the team is still hurting itself on a nightly basis.
Saturday showed, once again, there’s a long list of issues to address. We’re quickly nearing the first deadline for the team to define its priorities. A fanbase long tired of losing is searching for signs that this season, and rebuild as a whole, is still worth investing time in.
We’ll have more clarity soon.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons have much to solve with NBA trade deadline approaching
