The Pistons Are Done Tanking — 40 Wins Is the New Baseline

Detroit overhauled everything but the core pieces, and now there’s actual reason to believe. Cade, Ivy, Duren, plus real veterans and a competent staff? This team should be at least .500.

Forget the rebuild talk. Forget the patience. The Detroit Pistons are supposed to be good now.

That’s not wishful thinking — that’s the baseline expectation heading into this season. New coaching staff. Legit veteran additions. And a young core that’s had enough time to figure it out. Forty wins isn’t some pie-in-the-sky dream. It’s what this roster should deliver.

This Isn’t a Teardown Anymore

Yeah, it’s aggressive to call for 40 wins from a team that’s been bottom-feeding for years. But look at what actually happened this offseason. The Pistons kept the pieces that matter — Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivy, Jalen Duren — and surrounded them with players who’ve actually done something in this league.

That’s not a rebuild. That’s a retool. And it’s the smart kind, where you don’t blow everything up just to start over. You keep your young talent, add experience around them, and let the whole thing cook.

The new staff changes the equation too. Fresh eyes, fresh schemes, fresh accountability. That matters more than people want to admit when you’re dealing with young guys who’ve never played meaningful basketball in the NBA.

Cade Has to Take the Leap — No More Excuses

We’ve been saying it for three years now. “This is Cade’s year.” “Cade’s about to break out.” “Just wait until Cade puts it together.”

Cool. Time’s up. This is actually the year it has to happen.

The Pistons have given him the supporting cast. They’ve built the infrastructure. If Cunningham is the franchise cornerstone everyone says he is, the results need to start showing up in the win column. Not just individual stat lines — actual team success.

Opening night against the Pacers is step one. Indiana’s a tough out, but that’s the point. Good teams beat good teams. Time to see if Detroit’s ready to be one.

The Cade-Ivy Question Finally Gets Answered

Here’s the thing nobody wants to say out loud: plenty of people have spent years arguing that Cade and Ivy can’t coexist. Too ball-dominant. Not enough spacing. Pick your narrative.

New coaching staff, new chance to prove that wrong. The early returns suggest they’re being used differently — smarter rotations, better lineups, actual structure instead of just throwing guys out there and hoping for the best.

If it works, this backcourt becomes a problem for opponents. If it doesn’t, well, at least we’ll finally have a real answer instead of endless speculation.

Either way, the excuse era is over. The Pistons have done enough this offseason to expect real progress. Forty wins. Play-in tournament. Actual relevance. That’s the standard now.

The Takeaways

• 40 wins should be the floor for this Pistons roster — anything less is underperforming
• Cade Cunningham is out of excuses — year four has to be the breakout
• The new coaching staff might finally unlock the Cade-Ivy backcourt

Watch the full segment on YouTube: Expectations are HIGH for the Detroit Pistons…