Is Monty Williams’ seat already heating up in Detroit? A list put together by CBS Sports believes that the Detroit Pistons head coach is the leader in the NBA’s hot seat sector.
Can you blame them? After all, the Pistons have just nine wins to show for a few games after the 2024 NBA All-Star break.
By no means was Williams expected to turn Detroit’s young and inexperienced roster into a playoff squad in year one, but the Pistons have struggled much more than anybody might’ve expected. Unfortunately, when teams struggle, the coach has to take a lot of the heat, and this situation isn’t any different.
Why Monty Williams?
“While the Pistons hired Williams on the reputation he built in New Orleans and then as coach in Phoenix, where he helped turn a constant lottery team in the Suns into a playoff mainstay, the development he was lauded for in his previous stops is missing in Detroit. None of the Pistons' young players have taken sizable steps forward in their development, which is paramount for rebuilding teams. While it's only Williams' first season at the helm, we've seen teams get impatient quickly, so if the rest of the season doesn't trend upward for the Pistons, it wouldn't be surprising to see them conducting a coaching search in the offseason.”
The Pistons wrapped up a 384-game stretch with Dwane Casey running the show. Casey took over in 2018 after the Pistons moved on from Stan Van Gundy. Following a disappointing 2022-2023 season, Casey and the Pistons decided that a title change was necessary, moving the veteran head coach into a front-office role.
Detroit conducted a coaching search, which initially led many to believe they would go for a rookie coach in Kevin Ollie. Instead, the Pistons banked big on Williams, who found himself on the open market following a four-year run with the Phoenix Suns.
For the amount of money Williams is making with the Pistons, a record-breaking 28-game losing streak, along with sitting last place in the Eastern Conference 58 games into the season, looks like a lousy investment for the franchise. At the same time, realistic expectations shouldn’t have led the Pistons to believe Williams would have this team on a championship path right away.
Williams has certainly underwhelmed so far, but the Pistons put too much money on the table not to give this staff time to grow. While Williams might be at the top of this list, some other candidates could take over that spot as teams with higher expectations could come up short with the playoffs around the corner.
Beyond Williams, CBS Sports lists LA’s Darvin Ham as the next coach in line. Then comes Milwaukee’s Doc Rivers, who recently joined the organization to replace Adrian Griffin.
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