Detroit Pistons Clinch Playoffs; What Now?

The Detroit Pistons have flipped the entire script in the 2025 NBA season. With the 2025 team officially clinching a spot in the NBA Playoffs, this team has come an incredibly long way. Detroit has had a miserable run for the better part of a decade. From 2017 to 2023, the Pistons lost more games than any other NBA franchise. Before the long playoff drought, there was the "goin to work" Pistons.

The “goin to work” Pistons took the city of Detroit by storm in the mid-2000s. The team was led by 5 talented starters, savvy veterans, hard-nosed defense, and an amazing head coach. What the team remarkably lacked was a superstar. Players like Ben Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince, and Rasheed Wallace were amazing in the Pistons' system under coach Larry Brown.

While I have personally always been a diehard Pistons fan, it would be a bit of an exaggeration to call any of those five players a superstar. This team shocked the world by giving the widely favored Los Angeles Lakers the gentleman's sweep in 2004. The Pistons' upset finals victory over the Kobe and Shaq Lakers was one of the most amazing championships in NBA history.

This title gets vastly overlooked by non-Detroit fans. One big reason for that is the lack of star power. The 2004 Pistons refused the pure superstar recipe and the league, and its fans did not approve. After that, the core eventually moved on and/or retired. The team went through periods of mediocrity. The big move of the 2010s was the acquisition of Blake Griffin. It was a flawed move by general management. While Griffin was still a great player, he was not the player Detroit needed then.

The team needed to be genuinely blown up, and general management required reassessment. After Blake Griffin departed Detroit, the team became the worst franchise in the league. It took many years to rebuild what they lost, but the organization has finally turned the corner, and the team is now flourishing.

Detroit is better when the Pistons, Lions, and the Detroit Tigers are good. I would also include the Red Wings, but they are currently struggling with their own rebuild. The Pistons now have several key guys who play a significant role in this team's success. Guys like Malik Beasley, Dennis Schröder, Tobias Harris, and Tim Hardaway Jr. have significantly contributed to the team this season. Their combination of being a strong veteran presence and still being valuable producers has been key this year.

The evolution of Cade Cunningham is perhaps the biggest reason the team has flourished. Under great coaching and strong general management, Cade has the supporting cast to do damage. That's precisely what he’s done this season and why Detroit is such an exciting team. Cade averages over 25 points per game and is 3rd in the NBA in assists per game with over 9. But what can this team do during playoff time?

Depending on how the last few games turn out. The Pistons will likely face the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks in the first round. The league is not ready to admit the Pistons belong in the playoffs and will not be favored to win either of those matchups. But this team has a serious chance of making it past the first round of the playoffs. They have stars and a strong supporting cast with excellent coaching.