Pistons observations: Detroit makes history — in a bad way — with 15th straight loss

DETROIT — Here are 15 thoughts on the Pistons following their 15th straight defeat, a 133-107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.

The record.

No matter the circumstances — injuries, youth, whatever — losing 15 straight games in the NBA is hard to do. Very hard. Yet here the Pistons are, setting a franchise record for most consecutive losses in a single season. If Detroit loses to the New York Knicks on Thursday, the Pistons will have gone the entire month of November without a victory.

The longest losing skid in a single season is 26 games, done by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and then matched by the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers .

At this point, the Pistons’ issues are more mental than physical. This Detroit team is bad. It’s not this bad. Losses quietly piled up before the Pistons realized it, then they grew even more, and then before Detroit knew it, it was staring at a 10-game losing skid just like that. This isn’t the same team that opened the season with a 2-1 record. You can’t tell me it is. It’s all in their head.

However, that’s the worst part. These young players have never won before. They’re trying to learn how to win while trying to climb out of a hole that very few teams in NBA history have experienced. Maybe one victory will do wonders for their confidence. We won’t know, though, until they get the win. And based on the fact they’ve lost their last five games by an average of 20 points, I don’t know when a victory will come.

Jalen Duren and the Pistons haven’t won since Oct. 28. (Rick Osentoski / USA Today)

“Someone has to be on the hot seat.” — Detroit fan base

I wrote about it last week and, per league sources, it remains true as of today: The Pistons’ front office is not on the hot seat.

The fan belief that firing someone will change the franchise’s immediate fortunes doesn’t appear to be shared by the top decision-makers. From everything I’ve heard, the Pistons’ front office currently isn’t at risk of being changed, and no one is looking for a scapegoat to excuse this poor start.

Based on conversations, Detroit anticipated there could be a rocky start with so many injuries to begin the season, a new coach coming in and implementing a new system, as well as its 2021 No. 1 pick returning to basketball for the first time in almost a year. Did the Pistons’ brass expect things to be 15-game-losing-skid bad? No. However, from all accounts, everyone is willing to be patient and let this thing play out over the next few months.

Don’t kill the messenger.

Changes to the starting lineup.

I think those are coming soon. After the loss to Los Angeles, head coach Monty Williams said the spacing around Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey needs to be better and they need more players to knock down shots.

Agreed.

As much as defense has been and should continue to be emphasized, Detroit too often has long scoring droughts throughout a ballgame. It’s not taking a ton of 3s, either. Keeping the scoreboard moving has been a chore at times.

My best educated guess is that Bojan Bogdanovic immediately enters the starting lineup when he returns from injury, which I’m hearing could be Thursday in New York or Saturday when Detroit welcomes the Cavaliers. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Isaiah Livers is a starter. Maybe both?

We’ll find out sooner rather than later.

Finishing at the rim.

Part of Detroit’s offensive issues is nothing comes easy. Every basket feels like a chore.

Per NBA.com, the Pistons average the fifth-most shots in the restricted area per game (31.3) but rank 25th in converting those attempts (61.6 percent). They miss a bunch of contested shots down low and are rarely able to create separation off the dribble in the halfcourt.

Ivey and Ausar Thompson are the only non-bigs on the roster who average at least 2.0 restricted-area field goal attempts per game and shoot over 60 percent. For comparison, the 3-15 Washington Wizards have six such players who shoot over 60 percent on restricted-area field goal attempts (minimum 2.0 per game).

Lack of free throws.

You’d think a team that shoots as many shots in the restricted area as Detroit would be near the top in free-throw attempts, right? Nope.

The Pistons rank just 24th in free-throw attempts per game with 17. Conversely, Detroit concedes the most free-throw attempts per game in the NBA (28.2).

Whether you think the officials are out to get the Pistons or not, this 11-attempt discrepancy has been deflating to Detroit all season.

Pistons don’t make life easy for themselves.

See Nos. 4 and 5.

Cunningham’s 3-point shooting has turned a corner.

Cunningham, like the rest of the team, hasn’t been perfect over the last five games, but his 180-degree turn as a 3-point shooter has to be somewhat encouraging for fans.

Over his last five games, Cunningham is knocking down 45.8 percent of his 3s while shooting almost five per game. From the start of the losing streak (an Oct. 30 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder ) to Nov. 17 — a 10-game span — he converted just 27 percent of his 3s.

Cunningham is attempting about two fewer 3-pointers per game during this recent uptick, but he and Detroit may benefit from him shooting a bit more from distance.

The defense needs more work, obviously, but not all is as bad as it appears.

Fouling isn’t helping Detroit’s defensive numbers at all, and neither is the high number of turnovers, but the team’s defense isn’t completely a mess. Per NBA.com, only 33.5 percent of opponents’ field goals against Detroit come from 3, which is the second-best mark in the NBA. The Pistons’ opponents are shooting 36.3 percent from 3 against them, which is about the middle of the pack. Things would look and feel a little better if Detroit could take advantage of that on offense, but it’s tied for 30th in 3-point attempts per game (29.4) and ranks 25th in percentage made (34.7).

Furthermore, two of Detroit’s biggest issues are, aside from giving up nearly 30 free-throw attempts per game, it gives up the most points off turnovers in the NBA (20.6) and doesn’t turn teams over, ranking 29th in forcing turnovers.

Run!

The Pistons look good in transition and rank 11th in fast-break points. Forcing more turnovers would lead to easier offense! Discipline. Discipline. Discipline.

When will the next victory come?

I’m going with Saturday against Cleveland. Why? I don’t know. Just a hunch.

Should Detroit make a trade?

The Pistons have been losing for three consecutive weeks, but it wasn’t until the last five games that they’ve looked completely zapped of hope. If the beatdowns continue over the next two weeks leading into Dec. 15, the date that players signed this summer can be traded, semiformally marking the beginning of trade season, I think Detroit has to. It’s December, not March. This could get even worse if everyone is checked out.

The loss to Portland still sticks with me.

I can’t prove this scientifically, but the loss to the Trail Blazers really felt like it did some damage to this team. The Pistons led 59-41 with two minutes left until halftime and had a chance to prove things had changed with this young group. Instead, Detroit turned the ball over 10 times in the second half and lost by nine.

A win will change the mojo.

Again, this team is clearly very bad right now. However, I do think a single win will fix whatever is going on mentally, remove weights off the Pistons’ collective shoulders and allow them to take a deep breath. I don’t think a win turns into a 10-game winning streak or anything, but I could see it leading to an upward trajectory.

More Ivey pick-and-rolls.

Ivey appears to be the only one who can get to the basket with ease in the half court and finish at a decent-to-good clip. Carving out a block for him to spam pick-and-rolls not only might help Detroit get easier baskets, whether at the rim or the foul line, but should allow Cunningham to get more spot-up opportunities.

This team needs a win soon.

Have I said this yet?

(Photo of the Lakers’ LeBron James dunking on the Pistons: Rick Osentoski / USA Today)