The Detroit Pistons Will Be Back a Stronger Team

The dust has finally settled after the Detroit Pistons' heartbreaking playoff series loss to the New York Knicks. Some people would argue that the Pistons were exposed by the Knicks' veterans and playoff-ready team. While yes, they defeated our Detroit Pistons 4 games to 2, New York escaped and survived that series. Outside of game 1, each game was decided by six or fewer points. Overall, the New York Knicks didn’t match up the greatest against Detroit.

Detroit would have fared much better if they had been able to play their other big man, Isaiah Stewart. His inability to play that series after his leg injury was the deciding factor. General management has some big decisions to make during the offseason regarding keeping momentum going. But one thing is for certain: this team will be back and better than ever.

Cade Cunningham proved he is a superstar, and his statistics in his first NBA playoffs support this. In his playoff series, Cunningham averaged 25 Points, 8.7 assists, and 8.3 rebounds per game. This is a superb start to his career. It also shows that Cade can lead this team to a future deep playoff run. He struggled at times with turnovers and executing in the clutch in his playoff debut. However, this is part of the maturing process. Cade will get better and become the superstar this city needs.

His teammates or general management just need to step up and give him that second-star player. Jaden Ivey very well may be that player he needs. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Ivey in the playoffs as he suffered a season-ending injury earlier in the year. Jaden Ivey is the key to the Pistons taking the next step.

Whether that be Jaden Ivey turning into the perfect “Robin” to Cade’s “Batman” or Ivey being could be a key trading piece to get the right player for the future. Jaden Ivey is a key piece of the puzzle. The team also needs to decide whether to re-sign free agents Dennis Shröder, Tim Hardaway Jr, Malik Beasley, and Paul Reed. This team benefited greatly from each of these players. The difficulty is it’s highly unlikely that the Pistons will be able to resign them all.

Regardless of what happens, this team will be able to build upon the success of this 2025 playoff run and return with a vengeance next season. Expect big things out of J.B. Bickerstaff’s 2026 Detroit Pistons. The bar has now been elevated to win a playoff series. This is the next step for the team to take, and I believe next season, they will do it.