A nightmarish 2023 is ending for Detroit Pistons. Here's what they need in 2024

The worst year in team history is finally nearing a merciful end.

The Detroit Pistons need to have a very long, and thorough list of resolutions for 2024. Because 2023 is arguably the bleakest year the proud franchise has ever endured. Entering Saturday, they have just nine victories over the last 12 months — four since Feb. 10. Saturday's home game against Toronto presents the chance to tie the all-time record in the history of all four major U.S. professional sports leagues.] with 29 straight losses.

And a lack of clear vision on how to course-correct. Owner Tom Gores has promised changes. The team is expected to be very active in trade talks in the coming weeks. But there’s no saving a season that begins 2-29. Unless the Pistons somehow make a substantial improvement overnight, several shake ups will have to happen to re-inspire faith in this ongoing “restoring.”

There’s not enough space to list all of the New Year’s resolutions this team should. Here are five general areas of emphasis as it navigates a historically rocky season, and critical offseason in 2024:

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Clean up the big man rotation

Despite all of the resources dumped into the center position under Troy Weaver, it's one of the rosters’ many weak points. Marvin Bagley III, 24, is the only one not playing on a rookie contract. It’s an inexperienced unit that doesn’t give the Pistons what they truly need — post defense and spacing.

Jalen Duren has had ankle injuries, but has otherwise been solid as a starter. But Bagley and James Wiseman III play very similar roles as Duren. Playing two big men who struggle to shoot and defend ha proven to be a failing strategy in today's NBA. Monty Williams has done everything he can to avoid having more than one player of the trio on the floor at any given time, reducing Bagley and Wiseman minutes and sometimes not even playing them.

Isaiah Stewart, who has emerged as one of the better shooters on the roster, has spent significantly more time at power forward, in part because of the other three bigs fitting better at center. But he's also out at least the next two weeks with a sprained big toe. Beyond him, there’s virtually no depth at power forward. Wiseman or Bagley becoming a legitimate floor-spacer and perimeter defender would do wonders.

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Add shooting (and perimeter defense)

On paper, the Pistons appeared to be an improved 3-point shooting team compared to last season. Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks have always been among the NBA’s best, and they were joined by an elite college shooter in Marcus Sasser. Internal improvement was also expected from not just Stewart, but Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey as well.

But Bogdanovic missed the first six weeks of the season due to a calf injury, and Burks is shooting a career-worst 32.8% from 3. Isaiah Livers has also fallen off after an encouraging first two seasons. Sasser has fallen out of the rotation because of the logjam at guard. There are only a handful of league-average shooters on the roster, making it difficult for Williams to find adequate lineups to give Cunningham the space needed to run the offense.

The Pistons also severely lack in perimeter defenders. Rookie Ausar Thompson has shown the most verve on that end of the floor, but he’s been among the worst shooters in the NBA. Defenders have played 5 feet off of him, daring him to shoot. None of the Pistons' other guards or wings have been difference-makers on that end.

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Use salary cap space (wisely)

Gores is adamant that the Pistons can forge a way out of the mess they’re in, thanks to their flexible financial situation. They have $39 million in cap space approaching this summer, and several veterans on expiring contracts (Burks, Joe Harris, Monte Morris) that could facilitate salary dump-based deals as the Feb. 8 trade deadline approaches.

The team is in a delicate spot as far as the types of deals it can pursue, though. They owe a future first-round pick that’s protected through 2027, meaning they can only trade a 2029 or 2030 first if they want to be in the hunt for a star. Giving up more draft capital, with their current record, should be a non-starter unless they’re getting a true franchise talent in return. If they need to sweeten a deal, they’ll have to look at their young core.

Somehow, the Pistons have to find a balance in making the team more competitive now, while also staying flexible enough financially to further upgrade the roster this offseason. This season is a lost cause, so the front office could be better off looking for asset-minded deals in hopes to make a bigger trade swing down the road.

Ask tough questions about the coaching staff

Gores absolved Williams of any responsibility for the team’s current predicament, given that he’s only been with the franchise for six months. But when you lose a historic stretch of games with a roster many agree is too talented to be this bad, the coach must shoulder blame.

Williams has been frank in his self-assessment, noting that it’s his responsibility to prepare the team and get the most out of his players and has failed to do so. There have been several games this season where the Pistons have been completely run off of the floor. He has acknowledged it’s been tough to find second-unit lineups that can thrive without either one of Cunningham and Bogdanovic on the floor, but he continues to lean on his bench all the same.

The bottom line is that Gores has reportedly invested up to eight years and $100 million to a coach who now owns the worst losing streak in league history. We’re not even midway through that coach's first season. It’s a disastrous start, and ownership will have to eventually decide if the disconnect between the roster and coaching staff is too severe to salvage.

Question the front office, too

After defending Williams, Gores said that the responsibility lies solely with himself, and Weaver. It puts immense pressure on the general manager to prove, in a short span of time, that his vision of Pistons basketball is still worth investing in.

General managers have been dismissed for far less than the level of failure this Pistons team, in Year 4 of a full rebuild, has accomplished in just 32 games. Gores emphasized that he’s not opposed to front office change, and there being a need to “add” or “delete” from the staff. He was vague, but it’s easy to read between the lines. Gores isn’t going to fire himself.

Weaver isn’t single-handedly responsible for this. But the project has his name on it, and rightfully so. Perhaps the most pressing matter for the team in 2024 is renewing fans’ faith in its future. That future has never been more in-doubt for the leadership currently in place, which is now operating under a ticking clock to fix what may be irreparably broken.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.

Check out "The Pistons Pulse", your go-to weekly Detroit Pistons podcast, co-hosted by Omari available anywhere you listen (Apple, Spotify).

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons need long list of New Year's resolutions: Here's a few