Analyst Makes Case for Detroit Pistons to Make 2025 Play-In Tournament

Could the Pistons sneak into the playoff hunt in 2025?

Oct 6, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) dribbles defended by Milwaukee Bucks guard Delon Wright (55) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Heading into the 2024-25 season, only the Charlotte Hornets (8) have a longer playoff drought than the Detroit Pistons. The last time they were in the postseason picture was in 2019, when they were eliminated in the first round. As a fresh campaign gets ready to begin, one analyst made a case for why the Pistons could potentially put an end to their playoff woes.

Earlier this week, the people at The Athletic put together a list of bold predictions for this upcoming season. When breaking down the Pistons, James Edwards III stated that Detroit will make the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference.

However, the bottom of the East is going to be bad. Cade Cunningham had a solid season last season, and he’s now surrounded by spacing for the first time in his young career with the additions of Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. If you tell me the Pistons are better than the Wizards, Bulls, Nets, Hornets, Raptors or even the Hawks, I wouldn’t be stunned.

This is a bit of a bold take considering the Pistons are fresh off having the league's worst record. That said, there is some logic behind it.

As Edwards mentioned, it's going to be a race to the bottom in the East this season. With Cooper Flagg and a loaded 2025 draft class coming around the corner, teams are going to do their best to have good odds at the No. 1 pick. This opens the door for a team like the Pistons to climb at least a few spots in the standings.

The other notable factor is the changes Detroit made this offseason. JB Bickerstaff is head coach now, and has a good track record of helping young teams develop and evolve into a competitive sqaud. On top of this, Trajan Langdon brought in multiple veterans to help bolster the supporting cast.

Making the play-in would be a massive jump for a squad who only won 14 games last season. However, it's rather fair to say this Pistons team is vastly different from the 2024 roster. Depending on how quick the new pieces are able to mesh with the core, Detroit could be in the mix for the No. 9 or No. 10 spot in the East.