After a miserable 14-68 season that featured an NBA record-tying 28-game losing streak, the Pistons wonāt even get š to pick first in Juneās draft.
They fell four spots to No. 5 overall for the second consecutive year in the NBA draft lottery, watching as the ą¹Hawks snagged the top selection ā with the Wizards, Rockets and Spurs filling the ą²next three spots.
Detroit wasnāt even one of the seven teams that had a chance before the final numšber was announced, .
Itāll mark the fouš«rth consecutive year that the Pistons have šselected inside the top-five picks, though.
In 2021, they possessed thš§e No. 1 overall pick and chose Cade Cunningham, who averaged 22.7 points per game lasš§t year and has predictably emerged as a piece of their core.
The next two years, Detroit went with Jaden Ivšey and Ausar Thompson at No. 5, missing out on No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft.
But tāhose high picks havenāt translated to sustained success ā and, in the early stages of the 2023-24 campaign, a historic losing streak materialized instead.
The Pistonź¦”s started 2-1 but proceeded to lose their next 28 games until a two-point victory on Dec. 30 against the Raptors.
āIām just so happy we were able to get that,ā center Jalen Duren told reporters following the win, according to the Associated Press. āWeāve been fighting šhard for a couple of months to get one, and weāve been through a lot of adversity.š¦ā
The Pistons finished last in the Eastern Conference in the first season withā¤ Monty Williams as head coach, one game behind the Wizards.
Atlanta entered the draft lottery with just a three percent chaā¤nce of earning the top pick, and eveź¦Æn secured a spot in the play-in tournament as the No. 10 seed ā falling to the No. 9-seeded Bulls in the opening game.
But theyāll have a chance to add to a roster that already incš²ludes ā for now ā Trae Young and Dejonte Murray, with both and projecting in mock drāafts that the Hawks will select 7-foot-1 center Alex Starr from Australia.
The Pistons, though, will once again have to wait forš¼ the dominšos to fall before theyāre on the clock.
