2018–19 Detroit Pistons season
| 2018–19 Detroit Pistons season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Dwane Casey |
| General manager | Ed Stefanski (interim) |
| Owner(s) | Tom Gores |
| Arena | Little Caesars Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 41–41 (.500) |
| Place | Division: 3rd (Central) Conference: 8th (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | First Round (Lost to Bucks 0–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports Detroit |
| Radio | WXYT |
The 2018–19 Detroit Pistons season was the 78th season of the franchise, the 71st in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the second in Midtown Detroit. This was the first season under new head coach Dwane Casey.
The Pistons qualified for the NBA playoffs during the final game of the regular season with a 115–89 victory over the New York Knicks on April 10. This marked the first time the team qualified for the playoffs since the 2015–16 season and for only the second time in the last 10 seasons. In the first round of the playoffs, the Pistons were eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks in four games, and got swept in the playoffs for the third time since 2009, not winning a playoff game since May 26, 2008.
As of 2022, This season marked the last time the Pistons made the playoffs.
Offseason
On May 7, 2018, the Detroit Pistons fired head coach Stan Van Gundy after the team missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.[1] On June 11, 2018, the Pistons hired Dwane Casey as head coach.[2]
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College / Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 38 | Khyri Thomas | SG |  United States
|
Creighton |
| 2 | 42 | Bruce Brown Jr. | SG | United States
|
Miami |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Standings
Division
| Central Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z – Milwaukee Bucks | 60 | 22 | .732 | – | 33–8 | 27–14 | 14–2 | 82 |
| x – Indiana Pacers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 12.0 | 29–12 | 19–22 | 11–5 | 82 |
| x – Detroit Pistons | 41 | 41 | .500 | 19.0 | 26–15 | 15–26 | 8–8 | 82 |
| Chicago Bulls | 22 | 60 | .268 | 38.0 | 9–32 | 13–28 | 3–13 | 82 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 19 | 63 | .232 | 41.0 | 13–28 | 6–35 | 4–12 | 82 |
Conference
| Eastern Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z – Milwaukee Bucks * | 60 | 22 | .732 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – Toronto Raptors * | 58 | 24 | .707 | 2.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x – Philadelphia 76ers | 51 | 31 | .622 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x – Boston Celtics | 49 | 33 | .598 | 11.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x – Indiana Pacers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 12.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Brooklyn Nets | 42 | 40 | .512 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 7 | y – Orlando Magic * | 42 | 40 | .512 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Detroit Pistons | 41 | 41 | .500 | 19.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Charlotte Hornets | 39 | 43 | .476 | 21.0 | 82 |
| 10 | Miami Heat | 39 | 43 | .476 | 21.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Washington Wizards | 32 | 50 | .390 | 28.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Atlanta Hawks | 29 | 53 | .354 | 31.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Chicago Bulls | 22 | 60 | .268 | 38.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 19 | 63 | .232 | 41.0 | 82 |
| 15 | New York Knicks | 17 | 65 | .207 | 43.0 | 82 |
Game log
Preseason
| 2018 preseason game log Total: 2–3 (Home: 0–2; Road: 2–1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preseason: 2–3 (home: 0–2; road: 2–1)
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| 2018–19 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
| 2018–19 game log Total: 41–41 (Home: 26–15; Road: 15–26) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2)
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November
: 8–4 (home: 5–2; road: 3–2)
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December
: 4–11 (home: 3–5; road: 1–6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January
: 6–10 (home: 3–4; road: 3–6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February
: 7–3 (home: 4–1; road: 3–2)
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March
: 10–6 (home: 7–0; road: 3–6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
April
: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2)
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| 2018–19 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
Game log
| 2019 playoff game log Total: 0–4 (Home: 0–2; Road: 0–2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First Round: 0–4 (home: 0–2; road: 0–2)
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| 2019 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
Regular season
| Player | Pos. | GP | GS | MP | Reb. | Ast. | Stl. | Blk. | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Brown | SG | 74 | 56 | 1,449 | 185 | 91 | 40 | 36 | 319 |
| Reggie Bullock† | SG | 44 | 44 | 1,355 | 123 | 109 | 24 | 5 | 534 |
| José Calderón | PG | 49 | 0 | 632 | 60 | 115 | 16 | 3 | 113 |
| Andre Drummond | C | 79 | 79 | 2,647 | 1,232 | 112 | 136 | 138 | 1,370 |
| Henry Ellenson‡ | PF | 2 | 0 | 25 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Wayne Ellington≠ | SG | 28 | 26 | 764 | 60 | 43 | 30 | 3 | 336 |
| Langston Galloway | SG | 80 | 4 | 1,745 | 171 | 85 | 37 | 8 | 672 |
| Blake Griffin | PF | 75 | 75 | 2,622 | 565 | 402 | 52 | 28 | 1,841 |
| Reggie Jackson | PG | 82 | 82 | 2,289 | 216 | 344 | 55 | 9 | 1,260 |
| Stanley Johnson† | SF | 48 | 7 | 961 | 175 | 60 | 48 | 13 | 358 |
| Luke Kennard | SG | 63 | 10 | 1,437 | 183 | 114 | 26 | 10 | 613 |
| Jon Leuer | PF | 41 | 1 | 402 | 97 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 156 |
| Zach Lofton‡ | SG | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kalin Lucas≠ | PG | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Thon Maker≠ | PF | 29 | 5 | 563 | 106 | 27 | 11 | 33 | 159 |
| Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk≠ | SF | 3 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Zaza Pachulia | C | 68 | 3 | 878 | 265 | 91 | 31 | 17 | 267 |
| Glenn Robinson | SF | 47 | 18 | 610 | 71 | 21 | 14 | 8 | 198 |
| Ish Smith | PG | 56 | 0 | 1,251 | 145 | 203 | 28 | 11 | 501 |
| Khyri Thomas | SG | 26 | 0 | 195 | 20 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 61 |
After all games.[3]
‡Waived during the season
†Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season
Playoffs
| Player | Pos. | GP | GS | MP | Reb. | Ast. | Stl. | Blk. | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Brown | SG | 4 | 2 | 57 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| José Calderón | PG | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Andre Drummond | C | 4 | 4 | 127 | 52 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 57 |
| Wayne Ellington | SG | 4 | 4 | 131 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 31 |
| Langston Galloway | SG | 4 | 0 | 110 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 31 |
| Blake Griffin | PF | 2 | 2 | 58 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 49 |
| Reggie Jackson | PG | 4 | 4 | 108 | 13 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 71 |
| Luke Kennard | SG | 4 | 2 | 133 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 60 |
| Jon Leuer | PF | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Thon Maker | PF | 4 | 2 | 69 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 22 |
| Zaza Pachulia | C | 2 | 0 | 22 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Glenn Robinson | SF | 3 | 0 | 36 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13 |
| Ish Smith | PG | 4 | 0 | 81 | 11 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 24 |
| Khyri Thomas | SG | 3 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
Transactions
Overview
| Players Added Via draft Via trade Via free agency |
Players Lost Via trade Via free agency Waived |
Trades
| June 21, 2018[4] | To Detroit Pistons Draft rights to Khyri Thomas |
To Philadelphia 76ers Two future 2nd-round draft picks |
| February 6, 2019[5] | To Detroit Pistons Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk Future 2nd-round draft pick |
To Los Angeles Lakers Reggie Bullock |
| February 7, 2019[6] | Three-team trade | |
To Milwaukee Bucks
|
To New Orleans Pelicans
| |
To Detroit Pistons
| ||
Free agency
Additions
| Date | Player | Contract terms | Former team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 7 | José Calderón | 1-year contract worth $2.39 million | Cleveland Cavaliers | [7] |
| Glenn Robinson III | 1-year contract worth $4.08 million | Indiana Pacers | ||
| July 15 | Zaza Pachulia | 1-year contract worth $2.4 million | Golden State Warriors | [8] |
| January 17 | Kalin Lucas | Two-way contract | Stockton Kings | [9] |
| Isaiah Whitehead | Two-way contract |  Lokomotiv Kuban
| ||
| February 9 | Wayne Ellington | Miami Heat | [10] |
Subtractions
| Date | Player | Contract terms | New team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1 | Jameer Nelson | [11] | ||
| July 7 | Dwight Buycks | Waived |  Shenzhen Leopards
|
[12][13] |
| July 8 | Eric Moreland | Waived | Toronto Raptors | [14] |
| July 9 | Anthony Tolliver | 1-year contract worth $5.75 million | Minnesota Timberwolves | [15] |
| July 13 | James Ennis III | 2-year contract worth $3.47 million | Houston Rockets | [16] |
| August 21 | Kay Felder | Toronto Raptors | [17] | |
| September 25 | Scottie Lindsey | Waived | [18] | |
| October 7 | Chris McCullough | Waived | Shanxi Brave Dragons
|
[19][20] |
| October 12 | Johnny Hamilton | Waived | [21] | |
| October 15 | Reggie Hearn | Waived | [22] | |
| January 17 | Keenan Evans | Waived | [9] | |
| Zach Lofton | Waived | |||
| February 9 | Henry Ellenson | Waived | New York Knicks | [10][23] |
Awards
| Player | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Drummond | Eastern Conference Player of the Week | March 10, 2019 | [24] |
References
- ^ "Stan Van Gundy to Be Replaced as Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations". Pistons.com. May 7, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ "Detroit Pistons Name Dwane Casey as Head Coach". Pistons.com. June 11, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
- ^ "2018-19 Detroit Pistons Roster and Regular season Stats". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
- ^ Alter, Marlowe (June 21, 2018). "Detroit Pistons get Khyri Thomas in trade with 76ers, add Bruce Brown". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ "Detroit Pistons Acquire Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk". Pistons.com. February 6, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ "Detroit Pistons Acquire Thon Maker as Part of Three-Team Deal". Pistons.com. February 8, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ "Detroit Pistons sign free agents Jose Calderon, Glen Robinson III". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ "Detroit Pistons sign free agent Zaza Pachulia". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 15, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- ^ a b Ellis, Vince (January 17, 2019). "Detroit Pistons sign Kalin Lucas, Isaiah Whitehead to add 'more talent'". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ a b Khan, Ansar (February 9, 2019). "Pistons sign Wayne Ellington, waive Henry Ellenson". MLive. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
- ^ Tramel, Berry (August 17, 2018). "Some notable free agents remain on the NBA market". The Oklahoman. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- ^ Khan, Ansar (July 12, 2018). "Detroit Pistons sign 2018 pick Bruce Brown, waive Dwight Buycks". MLive. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
- ^ "Dwight Buycks sign with Shenzhen". Sportando. November 4, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
- ^ Beard, Rod (July 8, 2018). "Pistons get salary cap savings by waiving Eric Moreland". The Detroit News. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ "Timberwolves Sign Anthony Tolliver". Timberwolves.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ "Forward James Ennis will sign with Houston Rockets". ESPN.com. July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- ^ "Raptors Sign Kay Felder". Raptors.com. August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
- ^ Adams, Luke (September 25, 2018). "Pistons Signed, Waived Scottie Lindsey". Hoops Rumors. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- ^ "Chris McCullough: Waived by Pistons". CBS Sports. October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ "Chris McCullough: Signs with Chinese club". CBS Sports. October 8, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ "Johnny Hamilton: Let go by Detroit". CBS Sports. October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- ^ Khan, Ansar (October 15, 2018). "Pistons exercise two-way option on Zach Lofton, waive Reggie Hearn". MLive. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
- ^ "New York Knicks Sign Henry Ellenson to 10-Day Contract". Knicks.com. February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
- ^ "Andre Drummond Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week". Pistons.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 11, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2019.