The Detroit Pistons are on pace to make NBA history through the first quarter of the season, and not the kind of history you want to be remembered for.
Through the first 25% of their regular season schedule, the Pistons are on pace to finish with the most losses in a single NBA season — a record that’s stood for 50 years. Detroit is 2-19 and on an active 18-game losing streak, the longest in franchise history, through the first 21 games, which equates to a little over a quarter of the schedule.
If they play the rest of the season on their current pace, Detroit would finish with an 8-74 record, passing the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, who went 9-73. The Pistons would join that 76ers team as the only NBA teams ever to finish with single-digit wins over the course of an 82-game regular season.
JUST NEED TO BE BETTER: To end their embarrassing skid, the Detroit Pistons need to show more “fight” and “anger” and “look in the mirror.”
With just 9.5% of their games won thus far, the Pistons are also headed for the lowest winning percentage in NBA history. Currently holding that title is the 7-59 Charlotte Bobcats from 2011–12, who won 10.6% of their games in a 66-game season that was cut short by a strike.
The Pistons had a decent chance to end the losing streak Wednesday night at home against the Memphis Grizzlies, but were outscored 34-18 in the fourth quarter after taking an 84-82 lead into the final period, to lose 116-102.
The nonstop losing means Detroit is in dead last in the NBA rankings and already sits 7½ games behind the Atlanta Hawks (9-11) for the 10 seed and final play-in spot for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Pistons had a decent chance to end the losing streak Wednesday night at home against the Memphis Grizzlies, but were outscored 34-18 in the fourth quarter after taking an 84-82 lead into the final period, to lose 116-102.
The nonstop losing means Detroit is in dead last in the NBA rankings and already sits 7½ games behind the Atlanta Hawks (9-11) for the 10 seed and final play-in spot for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Mental mistakes and effort are the two biggest issues new head coach Monty Williams said he is working to fix. Williams has tinkered with the lineups in search of new answers to snap the skid, but nothing has worked yet. He said after the loss last night he will start shortening the rotation and hinted at more opportunity for Jaden Ivey, who has been primarily used off the bench to this point.
A big factor in the historically bad start has been injuries. Bojan Bogdanovic returned to the lineup Saturday and played the last two games, which led to more competitive contests, but Detroit still lost both games. Both of Detroit’s free agent acquisitions from the summer, Monte Morris and Joe Harris, have either missed most or the entire season so far due to injuries.
GAME RECAP: Detroit Pistons go cold late, fall to Memphis Grizzlies, 116-102, for 18th straight loss.
Morris hasn’t played yet this season because of a right quad strain and will continue to be out for weeks. Harris played in the first seven games but has been out since with a right shoulder sprain, and the team has yet to provide an update on his timetable to return.
Yes, the disastrous start has the Pistons sitting at the very bottom of the NBA rankings, but they have competition for the worst record in the NBA this season. The Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs are both 3-17, 1½ games ahead of Detroit, and have dealt with their own disheartening losing streaks. The Wizards have lost 12 of their last 13 games, with the only win coming over the Pistons, and the Spurs have lost 15 straight games and have a league-worst -11.9 net rating, despite drafting one of the most heralded prospects in league history, Victor Wembanyama.
Despite the worst-possible start, sources with the team told the Detroit Free Press that Pistons ownership is reluctant to hit the panic button and make a snap decision like making changes in the front office and will give time to the roster to find its footing with a majority of the season still ahead.
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