February 19, 2022; Cleveland, OH, USA; NBA great Isiah Thomas during the Slam Dunk Contest during the 2022 NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Rocket Mortgage Field House. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Isiah Thomas Applauds Detroit Pistons' Massive Turnaround

Originally posted on Detroit Pistons on SI
By Kevin McCormick | Last updated Mar 27, 2025 8:20 PM ET

Over the past five months, the Detroit Pistons have emerged as one of the biggest success stories in the NBA. As they gear up for their first playoff appearance in six years, they received high praise from one of the franchise's greatest talents.

Since having the league's worst record last season, the Pistons have been hard at work altering the trajectory of the franchise. They made numerous changes across all levels, and it has paid huge dividends. With just a few weeks to go in the season, Detroit is knocking on the door of a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.

During a recent appearance on NBA TV, Pistons legend Isiah Thomas gave his thoughts on this year's team. He is more than impressed with what he's seen, and applauded the group for finding their identity.

"They back. They found the culture, they found their identity, they bad boys," Thomas said. "They playing hard, defense, love it."

Isiah Thomas Sees The Pistons Returning To What Made Them Great: Defensive Identity. #DetroitBasketball pic.twitter.com/j0tPd1teGu
— Downtown Deuce (@DowntownDeuce) March 24, 2025

To this day, Thomas is still one of the best players to ever don a Pistons uniform. He spent his entire playing career in Detroit, leading the "Bad Boys" to a pair of championships in 1989 and 1990.

With their hard-nosed and physical style of play, the Pistons have embraced the franchise's longstanding culture. It yielded good results for Thomas' generation, along with the 2004 team also won a title. Only time will tell how it works out for Cade Cunningham and company.

Seeing how far they've come in the past year, Thomas should feel good about his old team. They've taken a big step forward this season and are in a position to be a competitive group in 2025 and beyond.

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This article first appeared on Detroit Pistons on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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