Sloan Jambor ‘26, Sports Editor
At the end of October 2023, the Detroit Pistons made a deal with Wingstop stating that for each win the Pistons bring home, fans can utilize the promo code “PISTONS” to get five free wings. However, after 42 long games, fans have only gotten the chance to obtain their five free wings on four occasions this year. The Pistons are not having the season that fans thought they were capable of, and they are instead embarrassing Detroit with one of the worst seasons in NBA history.
As of press time, the Pistons have only won four games, and went on a 28-game losing streak, which is a new NBA record. Pistons fans cannot bear this pain any longer, and they are already over the current basketball season. Sophomore Nolan O’Keefe said, “I would rather watch the NPC players in 2K play basketball rather than the actual team.” The Pistons are beginning to lose the support and confidence of their fans, and that is not just shown by the words from the fanbase, but also from the dwindling number of game attendances. According to PistonPowered, “The Pistons are just 17th in the NBA in attendance with 88 percent capacity, down from 12th last season with a 91 percent fill rate.” The fans are tired of watching games that are almost guaranteed to result in a loss.
While the Pistons are evidently struggling in the 2023-2024 season, it is clear that talent is not the problem. The Pistons star player and point guard/shooting guard, Cade Cunningham, is contributing an insane amount of points for his team, and he is helping push his teammates to stay fighting during difficult games. In a game on Dec. 18 against the Atlanta Hawks, Cunningham dropped 43 points with five rebounds and seven assists. Later on Dec. 26, against the Brooklyn Nets, Cunningham contributed 41 points, 9 rebounds, and five assists. Cunningham’s talent is undeniable, but its recognition is diminishing due to the team’s unsuccessful season.
So with a player like Cunningham, and a solid team behind him, why are the Pistons struggling so much this season? While there is no definitive answer about the troubling season, fans have been expressing their estimates and opinions for months. Morbid Motown—a website with all the sports reviews and information anybody could ever need—believes that it is because there is not enough spacing between players on offense, Cunningham does not have enough room in order to drive to the hoop or shoot the ball. On the other hand, Brad Botkin, an NBA writer from CBS Sports, seems to believe that coaching is the problem: he stated, “Monty Williams plays all-bench lineup that get run off the floor. In general, he plays too many guys. James Wiseman? He’s one of the worst players in the league.” The Pistons have multiple factors that play into their series of losses, none of which being the go-ahead factor toward their struggling record, but if they do not fix these mistakes the Pistons will continue to be on track for the worst season in NBA history.
The Pistons have dug themselves into a hole that leads viewers, announcers, and even other teams to doubt their ability to compete and win basketball games, and with only 40 games left, they do not have a lot of time to prove to anybody not to doubt them. The Pistons have until April to prove that despite a rough start, they should not be completely counted out; however, it is solely on them to take charge of their season and make a better name for themselves.
Lyon Life 