NBA Rumors: Monty Williams 'Likely' Returning as Pistons HC for 2024-25 Season
June 15, 2024
The Detroit Pistons are unlikely to make a coaching change this offseason.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported that current Pistons head coach Monty Williams is "likely" to return as the team's head coach despite a difficult season.
Williams was hired by Detroit prior to the 2023-24 season and still has five-years and $80 million remaining on his deal. If he were to have been fired, the Los Angeles Lakers had been linked as a potential landing spot.
Last season was a rough one for the Pistons. Detroit went 14-68 in 2023-24, worst in the NBA. This included a 28-game losing streak early in the season, and the situation wasn't improved when the Pistons fell from first to fifth in the NBA Draft lottery.
While Williams didn't elevate the Pistons in his first season, it's unfair to say that he was expected to lead the team to greatness immediately. Detroit hasn't reached the postseason since 2018-19 and had a 17-64 record in 2022-23. The roster did not have significant change from the prior seasons, but Williams inability to help the team show any improvement had his job security coming into question.
This was only exacerbated by the team's willingness to let the new president of basketball operations make final decisions on the future of the coaching staff and front office. That job would end up going to Trajan Langdon.
Instead of picking a new coach, it looks like the team will run it back with Williams. He had a pretty successful tenure with the Phoenix Suns from 2019-20 to 2022-23, leading the team to a 194-115 overall record and even a NBA Finals berth in 2020-21. This, combined with his large contract, could be a contributing factor to him getting a longer leash.
