What a difference a year makes: Pistons' November 2024 in stark contrast to 2023

The 2023 season was a low point in a decade of low points for the Detroit Pistons. The once-proud team lost 28 games in a row, which was a franchise record in futility, and it tied the NBA record for most losses in a row.

Detroit finished the 2023 season 14-68, which was the worst record in franchise history. Owner Tom Gores subsequently jettisoned general manager Troy Weaver and head coach Monty Williams. This, despite the fact that he had just given Williams a six-year, $78.5 million contract. He's still owed $65 million by the Pistons, but 2023 was so bad that there was no way anyone in the top brass could have stuck around.

Now with a general manager in Trajan Langdon and a new head coach in J.B. Bickerstaff, the Pistons have at least shown signs of life. Yes, they're 3-5, but they've won two in a row and three out of their last four. That includes an impressive 115-103 win over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. 

To put this in perspective, the Pistons won two games in a row only three times last season. Their last two-game "winning streak" came on March 11 and March 13 of last season. After that, they went on an eight-game losing streak and they finished the campaign losing seven of their last nine.

Teams win two games in a row all the time in the NBA, but for the Pistons, this is a rare accomplishment. Consider the fact that they didn't win any games at all in November 2023. They've now increased their winning in November by 100 percent, which is a small bar to hop over, but to their credit, hop over it they have.