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Detroit Pistons head coach Monty Williams. Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The real reasons for the Pistons' disastrous start

By Reece Johnston | Last updated 12/8/23

The Detroit Pistons weren't supposed to be a playoff team this season, but with the return of Cade Cunningham and the hiring of head coach Monty Williams, improvement over last season’s 17-65 record seemed a given.

Instead, this season is already a disaster.

In May, the Pistons signed Williams to a six-year, $78.5 million contract — the most lucrative for a coach in NBA history. He was coming off a mostly successful four-year tenure with the Suns that included a trip to the 2021 NBA Finals.

Only 21 games into the season, however, his contract looks like a terrible move. Heading into Friday night's game against the Orlando Magic, Detroit (2-19) has lost 18 straight games and drawn comparisons to the worst teams in NBA history. (The NBA-record losing streak is 28, held by the Philadelphia 76ers across the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.)

Williams’ starting unit and rotation are continually in flux, which is hurting the development of young players Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson.

Coming off a rookie season in which he averaged 16.3 points and 5.2 assists, Ivey has been relegated to a bench role. His average of 31.1 minutes per game last season has dropped to 23.1 minutes this season. Through 17 games, his production has dipped to 11.4 points and 2.9 assists.

With Cunningham returning after an injury-marred 12-game season in 2022-23, Ivey was sure to have a different role this season. However, Detroit drafted him fifth overall in 2022, and he clearly needs a more consistent role to develop.

Thompson — the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft — started the season strongly but has received sporadic playing time lately. He averages 10.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists but was limited to 16 minutes in Detroit’s loss to the 6-14 Grizzlies on Wednesday.

Killian Hayes seems to be a Williams favorite despite shooting 38.1% from the field and 27.9% from three-point range for his four-year career. He was recently added back to the starting lineup along with Bojan Bogdanovic, who returned from a calf injury. Their promotions meant the relegation of Ivey and Thompson to the bench.

Monty Williams said the decision to start Killian Hayes over Jaden Ivey was to get Cade Cunningham off the ball more, and said he liked how Hayes can get the team organized.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) December 1, 2023

The reason for Williams starting Hayes is questionable at best because Ivey can allow Cunningham to spend time off the ball, too. The team needs Cunningham to grow as a ball-handler and should welcome the extra experience.

Any chance of making the playoffs is long gone, and the team’s focus must now be on the development of its young stars — Ivey (21 years old), Thompson (20), Jalen Duren (20) and Cunningham (22).

Williams deserves a large share of the blame, but so does Pistons general manager Troy Weaver, who has created an unbalanced roster. The team has too many guards and centers and not enough forwards. Fixing this issue would make Williams’ rotation decisions easier.

Despite early struggles, with his contract, Williams will be in Detroit for a long time. For his tenure to be successful, however, he must make his focus the development of his young talent.

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