The 2025 Pistons made history. In a single season, they went from the worst team in the Eastern Conference to the sixth seed, on their way to the biggest single-season turnaround in wins since Boston landed their Big Three. At this pace, we might not see a flip of this magnitude again until the approach of 2050.
But that will never stop teams from trying. And believe it or not, there are a few teams out there that could be poised to do what the Pistons did. More specifically, by our count, we nailed the contenders down to three top candidates that could pull a 'Detroit'. And don't expect a cop-out here, either. We're calling our shot: each of these teams have a clear 1A a la Cade Cunningham, have spent more than one year dwelling either in the basement or in mediocrity, and could be set for an unforeseen big leap in wins without resorting to any 'Big Three' shenanigans. Sadly, this means that the Spurs and Sixers are only honorable mentions -- no boring picks here.
Here are our three most likely winners of the '2025 Pistons' sweepstakes:
Altanta Hawks
This equation is simple: if Trae Young is to stay in Atlanta, they must make a push, at least to the Eastern Conference Finals. They haven't been since Young made Madison Square Garden freeze over, and have built arguably their best roster to return.
In a wide open Eastern Conference (pour one out for Boston and Indiana), the Hawks field a nightmare roster on both ends, even with Trae Young's defensive deficiencies. He remains their leader and offensive engine, but Kristaps Porziņģis is still a unicorn when healthy, Dyson Daniels is more than capable of taking on any opponents' top perimeter threat, and Zaccharie Risacher looks like the real deal. If either of the latter two take a leap, even a small one, Atlanta's roster suddenly becomes one of the more well-rounded in the NBA. Not much of a stretch to imagine for the 2nd place finisher in ROY voting and the reigning Most Improved Player (2nd in DPOY voting as well).
Atlanta is also very deep: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Luke Kennard, and Caris LeVert are all incredible role players that easily plug into any lineup, and the latter two are microwave threats every night.
The East will be a race to fill the void left by Boston and Indiana without their stars, and the Southeast could be a walk in the park for a healthy, well-meshed Hawks team. Don't be surprised to see the Hawks crack the 50-win plateau.
Portland Trail Blazers
Question: do you believe in Scoot Henderson? Because if you believe he and Shaedon Sharpe can play together, and that both can take a leap, there is a world where Portland lands a top six seed.
A truer comparison for the Blazers going into this season might not actually the 2025 Pistons, but the 2025 Rockets. They don't have a hidden presumptive All-NBA talent like Cade Cunningham, but a collection of fascinating 'what-if's' and potential value stars, should a few breaks happen. And the list reads like a CVS receipt: Scoot was supposed to be the headline name, but Shaedon Sharpe, Donovan Clingan, Toumani Camara, and Deni Avdija all sort of eclipse him in terms of how interesting and off-kilter they are.
The West comes down to five teams, if we're thinking realistically. The Thunder, Lakers, Rockets, Nuggets, and Timberwolves are the incumbent 'most-feared' teams in the conference, and the 6th seed is up for grabs. The Clippers and Warriors are old and in flux, Sacramento, Phoenix and New Orleans seemt to be hitting a ceiling, and while the Mavericks are exciting, their hospital bills are basically a write-in expense for the front office. Should any of Portland's five bites at a stardom-infused apple hit, they'll be at the front of that mid-tier playoff spot pack with San Antonio. And while it's hard to bet against a monk-enhanced Wemby, Portland is simply a better-constructed team than the Spurs' glut of perimeter ball-handlers.
And with Damian Lillard along for one last ride into the sunset, you can't bet against the vibes on top of everything else.
Toronto Raptors
Of my three finalists in the '2025 Piston' Cup (patent pending), this take might be the richest. But here goes.
The Knicks are winning the Atlantic. All that is to be determined is who is going to finish second.
The Nets will live in and enjoy the basement while their young core develops. The Celtics sans-Jayson Tatum are in a holding pattern until he returns, and they'll likely take the mulligan and chalk up a largely lost season. And even when healthy (gigantic, broken caps lock 'IF', by the way), the Sixers are a walking tire fire with just rancid vibes all around. Podcast P just documented the wheels falling off, Joel Embiid could likely turn his nose up at the notion of Tyrese Maxey getting the symbolic reins of the franchise, it's just all bad vibes from Philadelphia.
Are the Raptors weirdly constructed? Yes. Is there a bit of 1A/1B awkwardness baked in for the Barnes/Ingram duo? Yes. Is the team top-heavy? Also, yes. But the Atlantic is wide open, and by the basketball gods do the Raptors just have scoring in bunches.
There is only one ball in Toronto, same as anywhere else. But on any given night, teams will have to let a Raptor put damn near 30 on their heads, whether it's Barnes, Ingram, Quickley, or Barrett. And that goes without mentioning the spike in production from Gradey Dick in his sophomore season. The Raptors are composed of a ton of athletic, 'tweener bucket getters, and with the right amount of ball movement will be dangerous for any team to go up against....
... And if this last pick of mine goes bust, just pretend I wrote about Wemby's Spurs like everyone else did.