Brian Gornick, Sports Editor
At the start of the 2023 NBA season, the Detroit Pistons had a few reasons to be hopeful. Former number one overall pick Cade Cunningham was entering his third season as a pro, younger stars like guard Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren were no longer rookies, and had a new coach at the helm, Monty Williams. Williams had many fans excited, having led the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals during the 2020-2021 NBA season, as well as bringing a history of developing younger guards.
To begin the season, fans' hope in the team seemed to be well bestowed. After losing by only one point to the Miami Heat in the season opener, the Pistons beat the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls to begin 2-1 in the first three games.
That happiness in the Pistons bright future was short lived, however, as the Pistons have failed to win a game since, now sitting at a total record of 2-24. The Pistons hold the sole title of worst record in the league, holding two games in hand before even tieing the next worst teams in standing.
Leading to the Pistons woes are their defensive playmaking and offensive gameplan. The Pistons are allowing teams to score an average of 120.4 points against them, while only scoring on average 108.3 points per game. On offense, their 3-point shooting and turnovers have been their achilles heel. The Pistons rank dead last in 3-pointers attempted, 3-pointers made, and 3-pointer completion percentage, and are the second-worst team in the league in turnovers.
These offensive deficiencies have been ever prevalent in the box scores. Since the start of December, the Pistons have played seven games and have only lost by single-digits twice.
The Pistons certainly have tried line-up changes and other schematic changes to stop the bleeding, but nothing has worked as of yet. If they want to stop their name being enshrined in an NBA record nobody wants, they need to figure out how to win again quickly.
As of December 18, the Pistons have lost 23 straight regular season games. The record for most games lost in a row belongs to the 2015 Philadelphia 76ers, who lost 28 games in a row. If the Pistons lose out against the rest of the schedule in December, the record could be broken before the new year, enshrining this Pistons team among the worst of the worst in NBA history.
For all those that are keeping track, December 28 would be the game they could match the record of 28 games, against the Boston Celtics. The Pistons would then host the Toronto Raptors on December 30, which could be the game the record is broken.
The Pistons play tonight against the 10-15 Atlanta Hawks, with a tip-off at 7:30 p.m..
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