Pistons’ Shockingly Positive NBA Playoff Odds in November

The Detroit Pistons have decent playoff odds in November.

Nov 8, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) and forward Tobias Harris (12) block out Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) during the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images / David Reginek-Imagn Images

Who would’ve thought that the Detroit Pistons could be in a playoff conversation in November this season? Coming off of a 14-68 run in 2023-2024, the bar was super low heading into the 2024-2025 NBA season.

If the season ended today, after the Pistons’ matchup against the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, Detroit would place 10th in the Eastern Conference, punching their ticket to whatever offseason resort they prefer.

According to Basketball Reference’s current playoff probabilities report, the Pistons are projected to lock in the eighth seed by winning roughly 35 games. (Results are based on 10,000 simulations of the remainder of the season, according to Basketball Reference.)

2024-2025 NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Odds:

BOS - 100%
CLE - 100%
ORL - 99%
NYK - 99%
MIL - 93%
MIA - 80%
BRK - 52%
DET - 45%
IND - 37%
CHO - 34%
CHI - 30%
TOR - 15%
ATL - 7.6%
PHI - 4.2%
WAS - 0.1%

All Playoff Odds: https://t.co/0r3ogSofIN

— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) November 24, 2024

The Pistons are currently set to have a 46.2 percent chance of making the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Simply cracking a spot in the NBA’s Play-In Tournament for the first time would be a major win for the Pistons.

Over the offseason, the Pistons made some key changes to the front office and the coaching staff. Trajan Langdon came over from New Orleans to take full control of personnel decisions.

Monty Williams was let go after one season and replaced by JB Bickerstaff, who wrapped up his tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers after a second-round exit in the playoffs.

There wasn’t a huge roster shake-up for Detroit, but a few veterans joined the team on short-term stays and bought into what the Pistons are currently working on. As for the homegrown players, notably Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and Isaiah Stewart, they are all showing tremendous progress as they enter another season in the league.

If Basketball Reference’s projections came true in the spring, the Eastern Conference wouldn’t have the Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Washington Wizards in the playoffs.

As for the Pistons, they would pick up a first-round matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are currently 17-1 on the year.

A lot can change from November on, but the fact that the Pistons can be discussed in a potential postseason scenario is a positive sign for the future.