Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons' run of ineptitude continued on Thursday night as they suffered a 119-111 loss to the Utah Jazz, extending their losing streak to 25 straight games.

The Pistons are now one game shy of tying the single-season record for most consecutive losses, which was set by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013-14. The Sixers also own the record for the longest losing streak in league history at 28 games between the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, and all indications are that the Pistons will challenge for that record as well.

Detroit actually entered Thursday's game as a 2.5-point favorite at home against a Utah team that had a depleted roster with Lauri Markkanen (hamstring) and Talen Horton-Tucker (foot) sitting out. However, the Pistons failed to take advantage of what might've been their best chance to end their losing streak.

Six Jazz players scored in double figures, including all five starters. Kelly Olynyk led the team with 27 points.

The Pistons got a strong performance out of Cade Cunningham, who finished with a game-high 28 points and 10 assists. Jaden Ivey added 24 points and Marvin Bagley III had 22 points.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for Detroit. Fans on social media didn't hold back their ridicule of the team and head coach Monty Williams after Thursday's loss:

25 STRAIGHT LOSSES FOR THE PISTONS... pic.twitter.com/yA6v2Oow2A

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 22, 2023

Pistons fans chanting “sell the team” as they lose for the 25th straight game https://t.co/INyGT7hcw5 pic.twitter.com/RrCyc82ag7

— Duncan Smith (@DuncanSmithNBA) December 22, 2023

Both Troy Weaver and Monty Williams should resign after the game.

Not tomorrow, not next week, not three months from now.

Tonight.

In the next five minutes, go ahead.

— Isaac (@WorldofIsaac) December 22, 2023

If Monty Williams was coaching in the Euroleague instead of the NBA, he would have been fired 20 games ago. I don't like calling for another man's job, especially a black man's job......but this can't continue. It just can't.

— Raheem Palmer (@iamrahstradamus) December 22, 2023

Monty Williams got $100m and is about to lose 30+ games in a row

— warriorsworld (@warriorsworld) December 22, 2023

BACK TO BACK GAMES WOO LETS GO PISTONS pic.twitter.com/yADy4MWWNU

— Kofie (@Kofie) December 22, 2023

Detroit Pistons just took an L to a Utah Jazz team full of Uber Drivers

everybody in that organization needs to be unemployed before Christmas

— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) December 22, 2023

Wingstop really pulled off an all-time heist on the Pistons 😭 pic.twitter.com/I9rek6jIbi

— dean 🦂 (@DeanScorpion_) December 22, 2023

Me when I see Monty Williams in public despite praying daily for his unemployment: pic.twitter.com/IFhl7YYwot

— 🍲 Beef Stew Fan Club 🍲 (@StewFanClub) December 22, 2023

monty williams is making $13m a year and i just genuinely think i could be the pistons head coach and deliver the same record for only $5m a year if y’all want to call me

— Kathryn Gimborys (@kathryngimborys) December 22, 2023

When the Pistons hired Williams as head coach this past offseason, there was an expectation that the 2022 NBA Coach of the Year would be able to develop Detroit's young roster into a winning team. That has proven more difficult than initially expected, and it doesn't look like they're close to figuring things out.

The Pistons (2-26) will return to action on Saturday when they travel to visit the Brooklyn Nets (13-14).

The Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks have reportedly expressed interest in trading for Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart.

James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reported the three contenders have shown "great interest" as they look to fortify their frontcourt rotation.

Stewart has started 25 games this season for the lowly Pistons, who are an NBA-worst 2-24 and have lost 23 straight games.

It's unclear whether the Pistons are shopping Stewart, but something clearly needs to change. Detroit will almost certainly miss the playoffs for the fifth straight season and is making no positive progress toward turning things around.

Every person involved in decision-making, from general manager Troy Weaver and coach Monty Williams, should be on the hot seat. It's possible no major decisions will be made until ownership decides to move on from Weaver and/or Williams.

Stewart signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension in the offseason, which complicates matters. In terms of outgoing/incoming salary, Stewart would count for the average of his current-year salary and his average over his upcoming extension. It's a minor complication in an age where mid-tier players are raking in eight figures a year, but it's nevertheless notable as the Pistons explore the market.

After coming into the NBA as an undersized center, Stewart has rounded out his game to be able to play either of the two big man spots. He's shooting a career-high 36.7 percent from three-point range this season, but it has not helped translate to wins for the Pistons.

A role switch could be the thing Stewart needs to take the next step as a player.

The Detroit Pistons reportedly aren't planning any imminent changes to their front office despite their struggles this season.

According to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, sources have said there is "no looming decision" regarding front office personnel even though the Pistons are in the midst of a franchise-record 22-game losing streak.

However, Edwards noted that "anything is on the table" if the losing streak stretches into the new year.

With a record of 2-23, the Pistons are the worst team in the NBA this season, and they have not won a game since Oct. 28 when they beat the Chicago Bulls 118-102 to improve to 2-1 at the time.

The Pistons are in the midst of their first season under head coach Monty Williams after Dwane Casey served in that role for the previous five seasons.

Detroit has not reached the playoffs since Casey's first season in 2018-19, and they have won 23 or fewer games in every season since then, including going just 17-65 last season.

Troy Weaver has been the Pistons' general manager since the end of the 2019-20 season, and during his time at the helm, Detroit has gone a combined 62-199.

Weaver had a significant hand in drafting and trading for a lot of young talent, including Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart and Marcus Sasser, but it has not translated to team success.

The Pistons are trending heavily toward having the best odds to secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, and while there aren't necessarily any generational talents available, adding a player like French center Alexandre Sarr of Colorado forward Cody Williams would stock Detroit's cupboards even more.

Also, the Pistons have some veterans who could be attractive to contending teams, such as Bojan Bogdanović and Alec Burks, which Detroit can use to acquire more draft capital.

At some point, so many high draft picks have to translate into winning basketball, and if that doesn't happen soon, it is fair to wonder if the Pistons may choose to move on from Weaver.

As the Detroit Pistons look for ways to stop their franchise-record 22-game losing streak, one potential option is making a move ahead of the trade deadline to add talent to the roster.

Per The Athletic's James L. Edwards III, the Pistons are seeking a forward and will be among the teams interested in Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby.

Edwards noted the Pistons could opt to wait until the summer to see if they can sign Anunoby, assuming he doesn't exercise his $19.9 million player option for 2024-25.

Whenever the Raptors are mentioned in trade rumors, there's always the question of what team president Masai Ujiri is going to do. He's not one to sell players, even if it would make sense for the long-term outlook of the franchise.

Last season, for instance, Anunoby, Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam were among the most-talked about trade targets. Anunoby and Siakam at least had one more guaranteed year left on their contracts at the time, so it was easy to justify not dealing either of them unless Ujiri got exactly what he wanted.

VanVleet was in the final season of his contract and widely expected to leave as a free agent. Ujiri opted to hold onto him for the rest of the year. The Raptors made the play-in tournament with a 41-41 record, but lost to the Chicago Bulls in the first play-in game.

Toronto lost VanVleet to the Houston Rockets in free agency and got nothing in return. The team has taken another step back this season with a 10-15 record through 25 games and a minus-2.3 net rating.

Per The Action Network's Matt Moore, the Raptors are seen as "likely to build around" Anunoby and Scottie Barnes, with Siakam potentially going to a team "willing to pay him" in free agency this offseason.

The Pistons are in a very difficult spot because they're not supposed to still be this deep into a rebuild, but almost everything has gone wrong for the team so far this season. Cade Cunningham is averaging 21.3 points per game, but it's coming on 41.6 percent shooting.

Jaden Ivey has been relegated to coming off the bench in most games by head coach Monty Williams for some reason. Killian Hayes is starting regularly and averaging almost 27 minutes per game.

Rookie Ausar Thompson (10.4 points, 8.2 rebounds per game) and Bojan Bogdanović (20.0 points per game on 40.0 percent three-point shooting) are about the only bright spots for the franchise.

The Pistons would almost certainly have to get some sort of commitment from Anunoby about a long-term contract before any trade could occur. If they didn't receive that commitment, agreed to the trade anyway and he left as a free agent over the summer, it would be a disaster for a franchise that doesn't need anything else to go wrong right now.

Anunoby is having another strong season with 15.5 points on 48.0 percent shooting (39.0 percent from behind the arc) and 4.2 rebounds per game in 21 starts with the Raptors.

Monty Williams wasn't pleased with his team's lack of composure after the Detroit Pistons fell to the Philadelphia 76ers by the final score of 124-92.

"There's competitive basketball, there's emotional basketball and then there's irrational," Williams said, per ESPN. "Sometimes we let it get past emotional and get irrational and it has nothing to do with the game."

76ers guard Patrick Beverley reportedly approached Pistons center Isaiah Stewart during warm-ups for a brief verbal altercation that was eventually broken up by security. While the situation didn't escalate further, both Stewart and Joel Embiid received technical fouls in the second quarter after chirping at each other while the reigning MVP was shooting free throws.

The Pistons lost their 22nd straight game on Friday night, the longest streak in franchise history. They're getting close to the NBA record of 28 consecutive defeats, which was set by the 76ers during the end of the 2014-15 season and the start of the 2015-16 season.

"It's deflating," Williams said in regards to the streak. "It is what it is. It's a lot of repetitive games."

After entering the season with hopes of potentially competing for a play-in tournament spot led by former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, Detroit has begun the year with a 2-23 record instead. The Pistons' next chance to break the streak comes on Saturday, when they'll go up against the Milwaukee Bucks. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. ET.

An 18-game losing streak won't be enough for the Detroit Pistons to sell low on Bojan Bogdanović.

The Pistons "have expressed that it would take a large offer" to trade the veteran, according to The Athletic's Fred Katz.

Bogdanović is signed through 2024-25, but his contract is non-guaranteed next season.

Katz called Bogdanović's situation "akin to the one with Jerami Grant from a couple of seasons ago, when Grant had two years remaining on his contract and Detroit held onto him despite its losing record."

The Pistons ended up trading Grant in July 2022 for a future first-round draft pick with one year remaining on his contract.

Bogdanović was sidelined by injury for the first 19 games of the season and has averaged 22 points through his first two appearances for the 2-19 Pistons.

SNY's Ian Begley reported Wednesday that the Pistons have "no immediate plans to trade Bogdanović."

While confirming the Knicks have spoken with the Pistons about a potential Bogdanović trade in the past, Begley reported his belief that the Pistons plan to keep the shooting guard in the near future.

"The hope is that a healthy Bogdanović can help Detroit win some games," Begley wrote.

The 2-19 Pistons could decide to sell for future assets closer to the deadline, however, while the Knicks are hoping to be a win-now contender.

The potential trade seems especially appealing for the Knicks given the tension between the team and veteran guard Evan Fournier, who despite making $18.8 million this year in a similar deal to Bogdanović's has made just one appearance this season.

But given Katz's report, a one-for-one deal with Fournier and Bogdanović doesn't seem likely to work.

If the Knicks want to shore up their offense with the veteran Pistons guard, they're going to need to give up some draft capital.

The New York team is currently projected to have two first-round picks in 2024 and 2024, and one every season between 2025 and 2031, according to the New York Daily News' Kristian Winfield.

Dipping into that trove of picks could potentially help the Knicks complete a Bogdanović deal they have been reportedly seeking for over a year.

Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren is expected to miss two weeks with a left ankle sprain, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported.

Duren was hurt with two minutes left in regulation Wednesday during the Piston's 116-102 loss to Memphis Grizzlies.

This marks Duren's second ankle issue of the season. He missed five games between November 12 and November 20 due to a right ankle injury.

The loss of Duren, who is averaging 12.6 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, will be a major blow for the Pistons' chances of ending an ongoing 18-game losing streak.

Duren has added 2.5 assists and 1.4 blocks per game in 14 appearances this season.

His point average is third only to Cade Cunningham and Bojan Bogdanović, and he leads the Pistons in rebounds.

The second-year center was hurt Wednesday while landing after his 11th rebound of the game. He fell to the court in visible pain and had to be helped to the sideline, but limped the rest of the way to the locker room on his own power.

Earlier on Thursday Duren was listed out of the Pistons' Friday contest against the Orlando Magic.

Pistons power forward Isaiah Stewart, who helped Duren off the court, said after Wednesday's loss it was "tough" to see him hurt.

"I feel like he was just getting his groove back and playing great," Stewart said, per The Detroit News' Mike Curtis. "Getting back to just dominating and for him to have that injury, man, it's another setback. I feel for him because I know he wants to be out there. I know he wants to play, and on top of that, he helps our team so much. He's a huge piece to our team."

The 2-19 Pistons have the worst record in the NBA in part due to injuries, including a calf injury that kept Bogdanović out of the lineup for 19 games, a quadricep strain that means Monte Morris will not see the court again this calendar year, and a right shoulder strain that has sidelined Joe Harris for 15 games.

Depth center Marvin Bagley III, who started several games during Duren's earlier ankle injury, will likely to see more playing time in the big man's absence.

The Detroit Pistons reportedly are not looking to deal veteran forward Bojan Bogdanović amid the team's 18-game losing streak despite past links to the New York Knicks.

According to SNY's Ian Begley, the Pistons have "no immediate plans" to trade Bogdanović, who the Knicks were interested in landing in the past. The Pistons are hoping that Bogdanović will be able to be a key contributor when he is healthy.

Bogdanović missed all of October and November with a right calf strain, but has since made his return. He suited up for the first time on Dec. 2, scoring 22 points in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also had 22 points, along with 7 assists, on Wednesday in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Pistons are a league-worst 2-19 on the season. They have not won a game since the Oct. 28 meeting with the Chicago Bulls.

The Knicks have been in trade talks in recent weeks ahead of the Dec. 15 date that marks when many free agents will be eligible to be traded. At 12-8 on the season, New York is looking to add another piece to get it over the hump. Bulls stars Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan are two players that the Knicks could be eyeing, but Begley reported that there haven't been any serious trade talks yet.

Despite his inconsistent role this season, the Detroit Pistons are reportedly not expected to seek trade offers for second-year guard Jaden Ivey.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, it is likely that any action involving the Pistons on the trade market this winter will be focused on veterans such as Bojan Bogdanović or Alec Burks.

While Bogdanović has yet to make his 2023-24 debut due to a calf injury, there has been no shortage of trade buzz surrounding him dating back to last season.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported over the summer that Bogdanović was generating a ton of interest on the trade market, but no deal came to fruition.

Detroit selected Ivey with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft out of Purdue, and he played a major role as a rookie, finishing sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting and earning second-team All-Rookie honors.

With star guard Cade Cunningham missing most of the season due to injury, Ivey started 73 of the 74 games he appeared in and averaged 16.3 points, 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 three-pointers made in 31.1 minutes per game, while shooting 41.6 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Ivey's playing time has diminished in his second season, as he has started only five of his 15 games played, and he is on the floor for just 22.7 minutes per contest.

His production is also down to 11.8 points, 3.1 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 three-pointers per game, but he has been far more efficient, shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from long range.

Cunningham's return has undoubtedly cut into Ivey's playing time, as has the arrival of a pair of rookies in Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser.

The other major difference from last season is the hiring of Monty Williams, who replaced Dwane Casey as head coach.

Williams isn't as committed to Ivey as Casey was, and the numbers bear that out with Ivey ranking only seventh on the team in minutes per game.

At 2-17, the Pistons have the worst record in the NBA, which suggests it may soon be time for Williams to try something different and give Ivey an opportunity to play a more pivotal role.

The Pistons have a backcourt logjam, but there is little doubt that Ivey is one of their most talented players, and he tends to prove that when he is on the court.

Well, they did it.

The Detroit Pistons managed to last the entire month of November without the sweet taste of victory, solidifying themselves as contenders for one of the worst squads in recent NBA history.

It seemed like Thursday night's matchup against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden would have been the moment. The Pistons held on to a small two-point lead entering the fourth quarter, a rare sensation for this group.

And yet, it wasn't meant to be, Jalen Brunson and Co. turned up the pressure over the final 12 minutes to come away with 118-112 victory and seal just the 13th winless month in NBA history.

It is a feat that hasn't been completed since the 2015 Philadelphia 76ers.

The Pistons have now loss 16-straight games, this stretch includes a loss to the other worst team in the Eastern Conference in the Washington Wizards. They haven't had a win since a 118-102 win over the Chicago Bulls.

And NBA fans had fun at the Pistons' expense.

The Detroit Pistons have done it. The winless month. pic.twitter.com/XRv33sEQtV

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 1, 2023

Every Detroit Pistons graphic makes me sadder https://t.co/9rYRFXSNe2

— Kofie (@Kofie) November 30, 2023

The Pistons have lost 16 straight.

Officially winless in November. pic.twitter.com/jNANqN0hAU

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 1, 2023

No… win november.

The Pistons finish 0-15 in the month of November, h/t @realapp_

Yikes… pic.twitter.com/7hz2Q0w8WH

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 1, 2023

Three Pistons field goals in final five minutes.

20 turnovers.

11-17 from the FT line.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

16 straight losses for Detroit. Next game is Saturday in Cleveland.

Fight was there but a loss is a loss at this point. 118-112 Knicks.

— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) December 1, 2023

The Pistons officially lost every game in the month of November.

They're just the 13th team in NBA history to go winless in a month. The last team to do it were the 2015 76ers, in "The Process" era. pic.twitter.com/c2Xpq7cT0I

— SB Nation (@SBNation) December 1, 2023

The Pistons are 4-96 in their last 100 games pic.twitter.com/vYWOCslDEn

— Jake (@SuperiorNBA) December 1, 2023

The Pistons didn't win a single basketball game during the entire month of November. https://t.co/JFW9ACo2nA pic.twitter.com/OLhuZ9XpAo

— Brad Heineman (@LenaweeHeineman) December 1, 2023

The Detroit Pistons after every single game they played in November pic.twitter.com/6lKXV8etuw

— RingerNBA (@ringernba) December 1, 2023

The Pistons to the Knicks after losing a winnable game. pic.twitter.com/OkkrODQWdn

— Tom Kinslow (@TomKinslow) December 1, 2023

With Thursday's loss comes the dawn of a new month and an opportunity to get December off on the right note. The Pistons could also decide to continue making history and chase the league's record for most consecutive losses in a single season at 26.

Either way, pray for the Detroit fan base.