Monty Williams must be better

After being a huge hire for the Detroit Pistons this past offseason, Monty Williams opening act has everyone confused and worried about the team's direction moving forward.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. 

When the Pistons signed Monty Williams to a record-breaking six-year, $78.5 million contract, the hope was that the tide was turning for a franchise stuck in mediocrity. 

Instead, Detroit has eight wins late into February, 48 losses, and the worst record in the NBA. Again.

Williams was supposed to come in and lead the Pistons to more victories — not lose them games. 

General manager Troy Weaver handed Williams a roster filled with flaws to start the season — no question about it. Weaver spent $30 million in cap space on the expiring contracts of Joe Harris and Monte Morris this past offseason — sitting on his hands and essentially running back last year’s team that won 17 games — the second-fewest in franchise history. 

This season’s team is on track to make history and lose more games than any other Piston team to date. 

Yet with the return of franchise guard Cade Cunningham, the internal development of Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, as well as the addition of two more first-round picks in Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser, there was an expectation for this team to take a step forward this year. 

Instead, they have taken a step back. 

There are myriad decisions Williams has made that have drawn ire. The first of which began when he opted to name Killian Hayes a starter over Jaden Ivey at the start of the season. 

Ivey, coming off an All-Rookie Team nomination, and a season in which he averaged 16.3 points and 5.2 assists per game, was pigeonholed into a bench role. The move by Williams made it seem as though the organization was questioning the long-term fit of a backcourt featuring both Ivey and Cunningham — just one year after proclaiming the two the organization’s future. 

Hayes would start 32 of the 41 games he appeared in. It was until Troy Weaver finally admitted defeat and waived the first draft selection he made as the Pistons' GM to get Hayes out of Williams’ rotation. 

Williams started him the night before he was waived — playing him for 28 minutes. The Pistons won the game by 13, topping the Sacramento Kings on the road. Hayes was a minus-1 in the win. 

The former No. 7 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft is now out of the league, having cleared waivers and not signing with another club since. 

Meanwhile, Ivey has flourished since entering the starting lineup. He and Cunningham have played well and meshed as the team’s starting backcourt. 

A season-long debacle that has clouded Detroit’s year is Williams’ insistence on using an extended bench, and his unwillingness to stagger starters throughout his rotation. 

While most teams always have one-to-two starters on the court, Williams will play five-man bench units together every game. 

Instead of always having one of Cunningham or Ivey on the court at all times — allowing each to function as a primary ballhandler — he would deploy Killian Hayes and Monte Morris, or now Marcus Sasser, as the lead ball handler in an all-bench lineup. Lately, Cunningham and Ivey rarely touch the court when their counterpart is on the bench.

Williams has also shown immense dedication to playing James Wiseman despite his inability to positively impact the game — just as he did with Hayes. 

Wiseman was moved into the rotation ahead of Marvin Bagley in December, despite Bagley posting strong numbers and playing well while staying healthy — something he struggled to do each season prior. Now, Wiseman is playing ahead of Mike Muscala. 

Muscala is a plus-3.5 in 13 games with Detroit this year. Wiseman is a minus-4.4 in 37 games. While Muscala can spread the floor for Detroit on offense and protect the rim on defense, Williams has chosen to roll out Wiseman - a negative asset on both sides of the floor. 

The rotational decisions have been questionable all season long. Williams was starting Isaiah Livers ahead of Ausar Thompson before a trade that sent the former to Washington. Livers hasn’t even appeared in a game with the Wizards since the deal, let alone start. 

It’s not just the local fanbase that sees errors in the way Williams has managed his team in year one with the organization. Some of the most well-respected national talking heads have pointed out the utter failure this season has been for Detroit — and the role Williams has played in it. 

That being said, it’s hard to see the Pistons going in a direction away from Williams. The franchise committed long-term to him just nine months ago. No team wants to pay a coach to not be the coach of their team for five years — especially for a record-setting amount of money. 

But if Williams is going to salvage his tenure in Detroit, things are going to have to change. 

The Pistons have no identity under Williams, and it’s hard to see any sort of foundation being set. They are 25th in the league in offensive rating and are even worse in defensive rating — 29th. They average the second most turnovers per game and attempt the second-fewest 3-pointers. They also foul at the second-highest rate in the league.  

Yes, the Pistons are young. Yes, they’ve been shuffling the roster around like a deck of cards under Troy Weaver. It wasn’t expected that they make the playoffs this year, but regressing the way they have is unacceptable. 

They show the same signs they did under the franchise’s previous coach, Dwane Casey. The team lacks discipline and effort on a nightly basis. The defense gets gashed nearly every game. 

A pivotal offseason lies ahead for Detroit. We’ve said that each of the past two years, but it’s true now more than ever. Weaver — if he’s still employed by the Pistons — will have around $60 million in cap space to work with this summer — and another top draft pick. 

He, nor the Pistons, can afford to stand idle and repeat what happened last offseason. Weaver won’t be around for another trade deadline, let alone the offseason, if that is how this summer plays out. 

Williams should have a much better roster at his disposal heading into the 2024-25 season. He can’t get in his own way the same way he has this year. 

If the Pistons are still a bad team at nearly everything again next season, and toward the bottom of the standings, the organization will have to make a change in leadership, and it will be no one else’s fault but Monty Williams himself.