The Detroit Pistons are coming off a season nobody saw coming. A 61-win regular season, the top seed in the East, and a deep playoff run that ended with a Game 7 loss to Cleveland in the second round. That’s a lot of success for a team that was in the lottery just two years ago.
But the playoffs also exposed exactly where this team is vulnerable. And the front office knows it.
Detroit barely escaped Orlando in the first round. Then against Cleveland, the Pistons couldn’t buy a bucket from deep when it mattered most. Their lack of shooting around Cade Cunningham became a glaring problem, one that teams like the Cavaliers exploited with aggressive defensive schemes.
Cade is the real deal. He’s a superstar now, no question. But he’s not a knockdown 3-point shooter yet, and the spacing around him is a mess. Jalen Duren had a brutal playoff run. Ausar Thompson is still developing as a perimeter threat. That’s two starters who defenses can ignore beyond the arc. You can’t win a title that way.
Pistons president Trajan Langdon didn’t dance around the issue. Speaking with Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press, Langdon laid out a clear philosophy for the summer.
“We all want to get better,” Langdon said. “I can’t stand here and say we don’t want to get better, so getting better means you’ve gotta win the second round to get better. It doesn’t necessarily mean we need to win 64 games, I don’t think we’re trying to do that though if we do that would be fantastic. But I think we know that we need to be more equipped to compete in the postseason and that’s what we’re looking at doing. Like I already said, it’s adding pieces that help accentuate our three best players, our core three players, and I think that will help us in the regular season and postseason as well. That all goes into the belief we feel like we can be better.”
Langdon is talking about adding shooters who fit around Cunningham, Duren, and Thompson. But that’s trickier than it sounds. Duren and Thompson are elite defensively. They bring a physical edge that helped Detroit win 61 games. But on offense, they clog the paint and force Cunningham to work in traffic.
The draft is an option. Detroit has a late first-round pick this year. But finding an immediate-impact shooter at that spot is never guaranteed. That’s why the trade market and free agency feel more likely for a real upgrade.
What the Pistons really need is a guard or wing who can shoot off the catch, create his own shot in a pinch, and handle the ball when Cunningham sits. Someone who forces defenses to stay honest. That’s not a small ask in today’s NBA.
Detroit has cap flexibility and young assets to make a deal. The question is whether they swing for a star or look for a more targeted fit. Langdon’s comments suggest they’re leaning toward the latter, at least for now.
One thing is clear: the Pistons aren’t satisfied with a 61-win season that ended before the conference finals. They want more shooting, more spacing, and a team built to win in the playoffs, not just the regular season. And with Cunningham entering his prime, the clock is ticking to get it right.
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