The Bulls don’t have to travel far to see what a rebuild-done-right can look like. Only about 4.5 hours East are the Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons have been one of, if not the, worst NBA franchises of the last 15 years. From 2009 to 2024, Detroit made the playoffs three times. It was swept on all three occasions; for those keeping track, that’s a 0-12 postseason record across 15 calendar years.
Then everything changed. The team’s young players took a developmental leap — Jalen Duren became one of the league’s rising two-way centers. The franchise hit on 2023’s No. 5 overall pick, Ausar Thompson, and 2024’s No. 5 pick, Ron Holland. A change in the front office brought a change in culture. Along with a new head coach came a new identity.
All of that helped Detroit not only return to the postseason but also finish with the sixth-best record in the conference. The Pistons pushed a star-studded New York Knicks team to six games in the first round of the playoffs. There are now legitimate expectations in the Motor City.
But those elements only fused when Cade Cunningham finally developed into a superstar.
Bulls must emulate Detroit Pistons rebuild blueprint
The first thing the Pistons organization did was the one that will be the most difficult for Chicago: clean house. Detroit fired coach Monty Williams and hired JB Bickerstaff, who had just helped guide the Cleveland Cavaliers from a dark spot into an East contender. Trajan Langdon came in as president of basketball operations with a clear plan to change a losing culture.
It wasn’t just the head coach who changed — brand new staff arrived from the top of the organization down.
“It’s creating a style of competitive basketball with people who want to win, and hold each other accountable doing that,” Langdon said in an interview with Hunter Patterson of The Athletic.
Bulls ownership just handed the current regime shiny new contracts. Vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, general manager Marc Eversley and head coach Billy Donovan aren’t going anywhere. That trio will have to find a way.
The Pistons created an identity
Langdon supplemented the talented group of young players he inherited with experienced veterans who had become castoffs for one reason or another, like Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley. They willingly filled the gaps around Cunningham, Thompson, Duren, Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Stewart and Holland.
Thompson, Duren, Ivey and Holland were all lottery picks who entered the NBA with the same core traits: Explosive athleticism, a high effort level and a hunger to defend.
It’s no coincidence that the Pistons went from 26th in defensive rating in 2023-24 to 11th last season, and they did it without Ivey for the final 52 games.
Chicago made a similar jump last year but on the other end of the floor.
Bulls need a star and leader like Cade Cunningham
Acquiring a superstar is a necessity to compete in today’s NBA. It seems like the most obvious step, though one that’s exceedingly difficult to pull off. But Cunningham’s star turn didn’t follow a linear path like Luka Doncic’s or Kevin Durant’s did. It was built on talent, sure, but it also took grit and an uncommon amount of patience.
Cunningham was the first overall pick in the 2021 draft. As a 6-foot-6, 220-pound point guard, he showed immediate promise, averaging 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.9 stocks (steals plus blocks) on his way to finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting.
Twelve games into his second season, the former Oklahoma State standout suffered a leg injury that ended his 2022-23 campaign. He rebounded the next year to average career highs in several offensive categories, and then finally hit his stride last year, earning an all-star berth, a spot on the All-NBA Third Team and finishing seventh in the MVP race.
It took four seasons for Cunningham to go from No. 1 pick to established superstar.
The Bulls’ best option at their version of Cunningham is Matas Buzelis, but the franchise will need the same level of patience the Pistons showed. Chicago is already surrounding its best young player with pieces that fit in Josh Giddey (presumably), Coby White and this year’s No. 12 overall pick, Noa Essengue.
As Detroit showed, it takes time to build a competitive roster, and sometimes it takes even longer to develop a superstar. But the Pistons went from one of the league’s most embarrassing franchises to one that seems primed to compete long-term; the Bulls can take a similar path if the organization can manage to get out of its own way.
