Aaron Johnson

Back-to-back years in which J.B. Bickerstaff had a strong case for the Coach of the Year Award but did not win. 2024-25: Pistons jump from 14 to 44 wins, a 30-win improvement year over year in Bickerstaff’s first season with the team. The Pistons returned to the playoffs built around a young core that developed remarkably under Bickerstaff and his staff. 2025-26: Pistons jump from 44 to 60 wins, going from 8th in the Eastern Conference last season to 1st this season. Within a two season span, Bickerstaff led the Pistons from 14 to 60 wins and from 15th in the East to 1st. Each year had a different and unique story/narrative to build Bickerstaff’s case. Each year, Bickerstaff was passed over.

@DGiancola3 @BladeCunningham Thank you for listening! We’ll definitely hit on Ayo and Trey throughout the next few weeks. Both would be great adds for Detroit.

@BladeCunningham @AJohnsonNBA loved the pod today. My favorite FA for Detroit is Ayo Dosunmu. Favorite trade target is TM3, knowing he’d be expensive to pry away.

After our eulogy to the 2025-26 Detroit Pistons, @BladeCunningham and I previewed our biggest big names the Pistons could target this offseason. Lots to take in here and more offseason talk to follow in the coming weeks.

Goodness gracious

Trajan Langdon on Tobias Harris: “His approach and professionalism has been huge in terms of us establishing the environment we have in the past two years… They call him Unc for a reason… We hope that we can bring him back. He’s somebody we want to keep in a Pistons uniform.”

What a remarkable first game of this series. So fun. Give us 7 of these.

Wemby omg

Spurs/Thunder has certainly lived up to the billing. This has the makings of such a fun series between two very high level teams.

@Kingshields1999 @Collins_D10 I think Trey would be a great add, and was someone that I was interested in from Detroit’s POV at the deadline. That being said, acquiring him would be costly. Not saying Detroit shouldn’t try though.

@Collins_D10 @AJohnsonNBA I really want Trey Murphy

What does a realistic offseason for the Pistons look like? If you had the keys to the car, how would you drive it? Who do you want the Pistons to target? Who are you willing to part with?

👀👀

Duncan Robinson on what went wrong tonight: “We didn’t come out with the right disposition for a Game 7. That was apparent in the areas in which we pride ourselves in this year.”

Duncan Robinson on the Pistons as a team: “This is the only team I’ve ever been on where everyone contributed to winning one playoff game.”

J.B. Bickerstaff on tonight’s loss: “The Cavs just outplayed us tonight.”

FINAL: Cavaliers - 125 Pistons - 94 The Pistons season ends in a disappointing Game 7 loss at home to the Cavs. Detroit finishes 1st in the Eastern Conference with a 60-22 record, but is unable to make it out of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. A significant offseason lies ahead. Jalen Duren enters restricted free agency. Tobias Harris will be a free agent. Ausar Thompson is extension eligible. Yet retaining all three players would still leave a sizeable hole to fill when it comes to finding a scorer to pair with the franchise’s star, Cade Cunningham. The Detroit Pistons now officially enter the most pivotal offseason in the organization’s last 20 years. Trajan Langdon, J.B. Bickerstaff, and the rest of Detroit’s front office have a lot of work ahead of them.

Man this Kevin O’Connor guys seems to know everything about every team in the league after the fact. Some team should really hire him.

LCA starting to clear out with the Pistons down 33, 108-75. 9:25 to play.

Jalen Duren misses an open layup and then an alley-oop on the next possession. Explains the type of night it’s been for the Pistons. Explains the type of postseason it’s been for Duren.

End 3Q: Cavaliers - 99 Pistons - 73 A train wreck of a Game 7 at home for Detroit. 12 minutes stand between a very important offseason for the franchise.

The Pistons are scrambling right now as Cleveland just keeps scoring. This is not the Detroit team we’ve seen all season.