Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons exceeded expectations after a historically bad season, reaching the playoffs and taking the New York Knicks to six games in the first round of the playoffs.

Even though a loss in Game 6 to end their season was disappointing, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff knows his team has plenty to be proud of.

"To watch them revitalize the fan base the way that they did, to go from where we were at the beginning of the year to where we were now, just from a fan standpoint and an engagement standpoint, you can't ask for anything more than that," Bickerstaff told reporters. "We're disappointed, we thought we had more to give, but I'm immensely proud of these guys for all the things that they've accomplished."

The Pistons had their worst season in franchise history a year ago, finishing 14-68 with what seemed like a long rebuild ahead of them. But bringing in a handful of key pieces like veteran Tobias Harris and sharpshooter Malik Beasley, coupled with outstanding development from young players, helped fast-forward the rebuild.

Detroit matched its win total from the 2023-24 season by December and ended up more than tripling its win total by the end of the year.

As much as Bickerstaff helped turn things around for the Pistons in his first year, the new job changed things for him as well. He came to Detroit after being fired from the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it's fair to say his future as a coach in the NBA relied heavily on his performance with the Pistons.

Now, it's clear he's here to stay.

"They gave me a renewed sense of purpose in this profession," Bickerstaff said. "And I can't be more thankful and more grateful to have been a part of this group."

Detroit Pistons shooting guard Mailk Beasley didn't take kindly to Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo mocking his shimmy after a block near the end of the Bucks' 125-119 road win on Friday evening, and he spoke about it on social media on Saturday morning.

Beasley certainly wasn't happy about it in the moment, either:

The Pistons and Bucks will square off again Sunday in Milwaukee to close out the regular season.

A few moments later, both players were assessed technical fouls as the trash talking continued. Nothing else emerged from there, and the Bucks walked away with the six-point victory.

Antetokounmpo and Beasley were teammates on the 2023-24 Bucks before the latter player left in free agency on a one-year deal worth more than $6 million with the Pistons.

Beasley has found great success in Detroit, which has engineered a remarkable one-year turnaround after going 14-68 last season. Now the Pistons are locked into the Eastern Conference's No. 6 seed at 44-37. Beasley has been a great pickup, averaging 16.2 points per game.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee is trying to fight on as the East's No. 5 seed despite missing star guard Damian Lillard, who is out with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. The Bucks always have a chance with Antetokounmpo leading the way, as he is averaging 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists in another stellar season.

The two teams will meet again Sunday to close the year, although it's possible neither player participates in the game with the matchup essentially meaningless as far as the standings are concerned. Regardless, tipoff is at 1 p.m. ET in Milwaukee.

After suffering a devastating leg injury at the start of the year, Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey is moving in a positive direction.

The Pistons announced on Thursday that Ivey "continues to make progress" as he recovers from a broken left fibula suffered on Jan. 1, and he has been cleared to return to basketball activities. He will begin his reconditioning phase before transitioning to on-court work, and his status will be updated in two weeks.

Despite being limited to just 30 games this season, Ivey still ranks second on the Pistons after averaging a career-high 17.6 points per game. Detroit ranks sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 43-36 record and clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2018-19, so getting Ivey back in the lineup would surely boost the team's chances for success in the postseason.

Ivey spoke to reporters for the first time last month and said he was motivated to return to the court this year.

"It’s been really quick, honestly, since I got injured," Ivey said on March 13, per Marlowe Atler of the Detroit Free Press. "I feel like things are progressing well. I’m doing my treatments on top of everything, I'm lining up to make a return. Whatever the time may be, I’m just trying to take it day by day. I know my body and I know when I’m ready to get back on the court and go full-throttle. I want to be out there so bad. I’m putting in the work to get back."

When asked about Ivey's potential return last Saturday, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff expressed that the team is still taking a cautious approach.

"We’ll take our time and we’re not going to ever put him in a position where we feel it’s forced or rushed, where something even worse can happen," Bickerstaff said, per Atler.

The Pistons will be in action on Thursday night against the New York Knicks (50-29), who could be their first-round opponent if they clinch the No. 3 seed in the East.

Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham helped unveil the team's new addition to its uniform lineup for the 2025-26 season.

As part of a photoshoot for Slam magazine, Cunningham was seen wearing the Pistons' City Edition uniforms for next year's campaign:

After Detroit finished with a franchise-worst record of 14-68 last season, Cunningham has been the driving force behind the team's massive turnaround this year. The Pistons rank sixth in the Eastern Conference at 43-36 and clinched a playoff spot for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

Cunningham is the only player on Detroit who averages more than 20 points this season at 25.7 PPG. He also ranks fourth in the NBA with 9.1 assists per game while also adding 6.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals. The 2021 No. 1 pick is considered one of the leading candidates for this year's Most Improved Player award, but he has his eyes set on even greater heights.

"I think I can be the best basketball player in the world. I think I'm on my way," Cunningham told ESPN's Eric Woodyard earlier this month. "I want people to understand that and that's what I'm working to show people every time I play."

If Cunningham can continue his ascent, he will help lead the Pistons back to a level of success that the franchise was previously used to. Detroit hasn't won a division title or finished better than eighth in the Eastern Conference since the 2007-08 campaign, so the fanbase has been starving for some positivity for quite some time.

The 23-year-old gives the Pistons a reason for optimism, and he will surely be motivated to showcase his skills while he's on the grand stage of the playoffs this year.