The Detroit Pistons, who had the worst record in the NBA last season, still are looking for their first win of the 2023-24 campaign.
But that doesn’t mean things aren’t looking up.
The Pistons, who will visit the Miami Heat on Monday night, are 0-3, with the three losses coming to teams that were in the NBA playoffs last season, including the reigning champion Boston Celtics.
Two of their losses have been by six points, the other by 12.
The Pistons led the Celtics 112-106 with just over five minutes remaining Saturday, but Boston went on an 8-0 run that Detroit couldn’t recover from in the 124-118 loss.
Part of that is due to the Pistons’ long-running problem of being able to close out games. In the first quarter of games this season, the Pistons are averaging 30.3 points. In the fourth quarter, it’s 22.
But despite that disparity, Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart is confident in his team.
“It’s completely different than last season,” Stewart said. “We have good chemistry. We have confidence. It’s just a different feeling.”
One of the additions made by Detroit for this season is 6-foot-5 shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr., the son of the former Heat star. The younger Hardaway, who went to high school in Miami, is averaging 10.7 points this season.
The Pistons are under new management this season. Former Duke star Trajan Langdon is the new president of basketball operations, and he hired J.B. Bickerstaff as coach. Bickerstaff led Cleveland to the second round of last season’s NBA playoffs before getting fired.
Aside from Hardaway, the Pistons brought in veterans Malik Beasley (14.7 scoring average) and Tobias Harris (10.3).
But Detroit relies most on young stars such as Cade Cunningham (27.3 points, 8.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds) and Jaden Ivey (21.7 points, 4.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds).
Cunningham is 23, and Ivey is 22.
Miami, meanwhile, lost its opener at home against the Orlando Magic, 116-97, and won Saturday at Charlotte.
“Everybody had an impact,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said after the 114-106 win against the Hornets.
With power forward Kevin Love out due to personal reasons, Miami has been starting Terry Rozier and Tyler Herro at guard, and Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic and Adebayo up front.
The bench is led by 2023 first-round pick Jaime Jaquez Jr., 3-point shooter Duncan Robinson and free-agent signee Alec Burks.
“We’re a deep team,” Herro said. “(Burks) is a pro’s pro. I haven’t seen him miss a corner 3-pointer since he got here.”
There’s a lot of pressure on Butler, who is in the twilight of his career at age 35. Butler had just three points, four rebounds and five assists in the loss to Orlando, but he bounced back with 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists against Charlotte.
Butler also had a team-high 75 touches against the Hornets as Miami seemed to make a big effort to get their star more involved.
It’s just two games, but Adebayo is off to a slow start, averaging 10.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Last season, he averaged 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
Jovic, who represented Serbia in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, is an ascending player at age 21. In certain lineups, Jovic, at 6-10 and 210 pounds, subs in for Adebayo at center.
Jovic is averaging 12.5 points, 3.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds over 27 minutes per game.
–Field Level Media