Detroit Pistons will win at least 46 games in 2025-26, according to ESPN NBA expert Brian Windhorst and his "Hoop Collective" podcast colleagues.
The Detroit Pistons won 44 games in the 2024-25 season, a 30-win improvement from the season before and enough to get them the No. 6 seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference playoffs.
ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst thinks they'll exceed that mark in the 2025-26 season.
In an episode of "The Hoop Collective" podcast released July 29, Windhorst and follow ESPN NBA reporters Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon reacted to projected win totals for East teams set on ESPN BET. When they got to the Pistons' over/under mark (45.5 wins), they were all in agreement the Pistons would reach at least 46.
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That would be the most wins for the Pistons since they went 59-23 in the 2007-08 season. That was the year the Pistons lost to eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics in the East finals. and the last season the Pistons advanced past the first round of the playoffs.
If the Pistons were to reach the same round this year, it would mark a huge step up for an organization that lost a franchise-record 68 games in the 2023-24 season.
Here are some highlights from the podcast episode:
Windhorst betting on Jaden Ivey's 'continued growth'
A big reason why Windhorst thinks the Pistons will exceed their win total from last year is the "continued growth" of fourth-year guard Jaden Ivey, who played in only 30 games in the 2024-25 season after suffering a fractured left fibula on Jan. 1 and missed the rest of the season.
"Jaden Ivey was one of the more intersting players to watch in the Eastern Conference last year," Windhorst said. "He really was looking like he was going to ramp up and be kind of the player that they thought they were drafting high in the lottery."
After finishing sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting in the 2022-23 season, then struggling in Year 2, Ivey set career-highs in points per game (17.6), rebounds per game (4.1) and effective field goal percentage (.536) in 2024-25 while putting up around five 3-point shots per game.
"He's a guy that if he, you know, continues elevating, can really be a difference-making player, because that backcourt play could be big," Windhorst said.
Ivey, 23, is eligbile for a contract extension before this season, the final year on his rookie deal. The Pistons selected Ivey fifth overall out of Purdue and signed him for $32.95 million on his four-year rookie deal. He makes $8.23 million in 2025-26.
Pistons trade: Positioned to acquire impact player
Windhorst said the Pistons are in a position to get better during the season with a midseason addition, calling them "upwardly mobile."
"They have a lot of flexibility and they have a lot of draft capital. They are a team that could go hunting for a mid-season upgrade."
It's unclear who that player might be, though as our Pistons insider Omari Sankofa II has pointed out, the team still has a need for a backup forward. Outside Tobias Harris, who is on an expiring contract, the Pistons don't have a four or five who can stretch the defense.
The Pistons have an open roster spot, the fourth-lowest payroll in the NBA, according to Spotrac, and are currently under the first apron — which gives them a lot of space to potentially add players as the season progresses.
You can reach Christian at [email protected].
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons win total over/under: Experts say bet the over
Category: Basketball
