It’s not easy to restart a rebuild in the NBA. Detroit Pistons They are proving it themselves as they try to escape from being the last player in the Eastern Conference.
It’s not like the Pistons didn’t try this offseason. Once the 2023-24 NBA regular season ended, Detroit made some major moves within management. Adding a president of basketball operations in Trajan Langdon, the team parted ways with general manager Troy Weaver.
Then came a coaching change. Monty Williams was fired after one season, leading the Pistons to sign J.B. Bickerstaff after he left the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Pistons have new leadership. They also added some key veterans to help the young talent develop in the short term.
Reaching the playoffs might be an unlikely scenario for the Pistons in 2024-25, but Bleacher Report Latest preview of record forecasts assumes there will be a step in the right direction.
After a 14-win season, BR believes 23 wins are realistic for next season.
Not great, but progress is good.
“Twenty-three wins seems like a pretty low total. And it is. But a nine-win jump is nothing to sneeze at, and Detroit has the talent in development to do it.”
Based on the rest of the East’s projections, the Pistons avoid the bottom of the standings in this scenario.
Last season, the last spot was occupied by Detroit and the Washington Wizards. In the end, the Pistons placed 15th. Meanwhile, the Wizards got the highest pick in the lottery, winning the second overall pick. This selection does not seem to have an impact on the predictions for Washington. BR predicts the Wizards will finish with 20 wins.
Who’s in 15th place? The Brooklyn Nets. Just a few seasons ago, Brooklyn had one of the NBA’s most remarkable trios in Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. At this point, they’re all gone. And while the Nets had a rising star in Mikal Bridges thanks to the Durant trade, they traded him to the New York Knicks earlier this offseason.
Detroit and Washington now welcome Brooklyn to rebuild their territory. If BR’s predictions hold true, the Nets would be the only team in the Eastern Conference not to exceed 20 wins in 2024-25.
