It’s that time of the year when the top sides in the NBA are preparing for the post-season playoffs, dreaming of becoming NBA champions. But not the Detroit Pistons. They have had a 2020-21 season to forget. What went wrong, and what needs to be done to ensure a better campaign next season?

It’s a long time since the glory days of winning the NBA Finals in 2004 and then finishing top of the Eastern Conference Central Division four years in a row with an NBA Final and three runs to the Conference final. Only twice since 2008 have they reached the playoffs, the last time being in 2019 when losing 4-0 to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Pistons’ season may be over, and fans must settle for watching the playoffs. The Brooklyn Nets are the favorites with US bookies to dethrone the reigning champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nets are heavily backed, with three of the best players in this generation and the most efficient offense in league history. However, the Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers are also considered contenders for the 2020-21 NBA title.

Disappointing Season

This season was so disappointing for the Pistons, but as you’ll read, not totally unexpected. They ended the campaign bottom of the Eastern Conference Central Division for the first time since 2017. Their poor form also saw them finish bottom overall in the Eastern Conference, two places lower than last season.

For the second year in a row, the Pistons only won 20 games. Last season didn’t see so many games played, and Detroit lost 46 matches. This season 52 went against them, their worst record since 2014.

In terms of win percentage, that put the Pistons on .278, the first time they’ve dipped under .300 since 1994. Just where did it all go wrong? Home form saw them saw them win 13 out of 36 games. On the road, there were just seven wins with 29 defeats. Performances against other teams in their division were a nightmare, with only one out of 12 won. Detroit lost nine of their last ten games, with each of the last five being lost by at least ten points.

On the first day of April, Josh Jackson scored 35 points against the Washington Nationals. Since then, only once in 24 matches has a Pistons player scored 30 points in a match. You won’t get many victories with that kind of scoring.

There wasn’t that much talk of a successful 2020/21 season. Their recruitment for the new campaign confused a fair few people. Jerami Grant was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for Pistons, but some cynics have questions about the signing value.

Just why was Jerami Grant signed on a three-year deal worth $60m? If he’s worth that much, how come Denver let him go and had not given him that much court time in the previous season, often having him as their fourth option?

That said, Grant was not too bad – he had more shots and points than he achieved at Denver. Perhaps next season, he can continue that improvement and help the Pistons get a few more wins.

“We’re capable of getting a lot better, and that’s what we’ve got to do,” says Grant. In fact, he believes the Pistons can do “something big next year.”

Big Investments

A lot of money was spent on other players, but the results just didn’t come. The 2020/21 season was never going to be one that produced win after win. Detroit was a much-changed team this season. In

fact, only Sekou Doumbouya played this and last season for the Pistons. New owner Troy Weaver created a new line-up and a young one, too. 11 players were under 24, and there were times that the starting line-up had an average age of 21.

When that is the case, you know a traditional season is on its way. That’s just what happened with the Pistons this season. It was all about seeing just how well the new players could fit in and how well they’d gel. Such a process takes time; immediate success is very rare.

Their four 2020 draft picks – Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart, Saddiq Bey, and Saben Lee – all showed promise this season. Promise doesn’t often win you anything; improvement does, though, and that’s what the 2021/22 season is going to be about.

Head coach Dwane Casey, who has agreed on a contract extension, feels his team can improve a lot next season. He’s praised their competitive nature, saying: “We have a bunch of high-character guys that are willing to put it on the line.”

As for Weaver, he wants far more than 20 wins next season. “The only way to improve that is I gotta come back better. I’m looking forward to coming back better,” he says.

And they likely will.