Driving to the Basket: A Detroit Pistons Podcast
243 episodes — Page 1 of 5
Ep 200Episode 243: A Higher Degree of Difficulty
This episode recaps a week that saw the caliber of the competition increase substantially.
Ep 199Episode 242: Waiting for Data!
This episode primarily focuses upon contextualizing the season so far, as well as what's coming next.
Ep 198Episode 241: A Hot Start
This episode recaps a week that saw the Pistons grow the standing win streak to nine games and the season's record to 11-2: Daniss Jenkins, the bench mob, and so on.
Ep 197Episode 240: Trending Upward?
This episode recaps the good, the bad, and the context of the last week and a half.
Ep 196Episode 239: A Deep Dive into Week One
This episode goes in-depth on the first week of the Pistons' 2025-2026 campaign.
Ep 195Episode 238: Recent Events & Player Previews
This episode goes over recent events -- notably Jaden Ivey's upcoming absence and the front office's decision to pass on extensions for he and Jalen Duren -- and previews each player for the upcoming season.
Ep 194Episode 237: Season Storylines & Media Day Recap
This episode goes over some season storylines to watch and recaps media day.
Ep 193Episode 236: Eastern Conference Preview
The podcast returns from a long hiatus to preview the Eastern Conference. More content to come!
Ep 192Episode 235: Summer League Recap, Free Agency, and Cam Thomas
This episode recaps Summer League, goes more in-depth on free agency, and explains why the betting odds from an unregulated offshore sportsbook about Cam Thomas have no bearing upon reality.
Ep 191Episode 234: Free Agency Recap (with Zariq of RealBullyBall)
This episode, featuring Zariq of RealBullyBall, recaps the Pistons' free agency journey so far.
Ep 190Episode 233: Draft Recap + More
This episode recaps the Pistons' quiet participation in the draft, discusses transactions around the league, laughs at Troy Weaver, and more.
Ep 189Episode 232: The Desmond Bane Trade (or: do the Pistons need to make a move themselves?) & Jalen Duren Season Review
This episode opines on the Desmond Bane trade to Orlando, how the Magic's current position compares to that of the Pistons, and whether or not the Pistons need to make moves of their own to keep up in the East, then reviews Jalen Duren's 2024-2025 season.
Ep 188Episode 231: A Random Mix of Topics
This episode visits a variety of Pistons and NBA-related topics that the host himself, posting this episode four days after recording it, cannot remember in their totality. Recorded on Friday, June 6.
Ep 187Episode 230: Trade Chatter
This episode addresses some common suggested trade targets for the Pistons, and sadly concludes that none of them are viable. Recorded on 5/24. Correction about the Suns: they've got three picks between now and 2032, though none are their own and all are least-favorables.
Ep 186Episode 229: Run it Back or Take a Swing?
This episode follows a listener-submitted episode suggestion regarding whether the Pistons should run back the current roster for next season or explore other options.
Ep 185Episode 228: A Worthy Season Ends -- Postseason Takeaways
This episode discusses postseason takeaways and the end of an unexpectedly rich season for the Pistons.
Ep 184Episode 227: Postseason Preview (redux)
This episode previews the fast-approaching first-round matchup between the Pistons and the Knicks. (Reuploaded with some added analysis at the end.) Apologies for the extended hiatus!
Ep 183Episode 226: Analyzing the Ceiling
This episode focuses chiefly upon the relative importance of each member of the young core -- Cade, Ivey, Ausar, Duren, and Stewart (oops, forgot about Holland!) -- to the team's present and future.
Ep 182Episode 225: Taking Stock (a somewhat concise review of the last two months)
This episode attempts to make up for lost time by discussing the events of the past two months.
Ep 181Episode 224: Trade Deadline Recap (with Zariq of Bullyball)
This episode, with guest Zariq of Bullyball.net, goes very in-depth on the trade deadline -- both for the Pistons and the NBA at large. (Apologies for the low volume!)
Ep 180Episode 223: On the Bright Side...
This episode takes a look at the positives (where applicable) of each rotation player so far in the season.
Ep 179Episode 222: The Jalen Duren Conundrum (mini-episode)
This mini-episode details the exceptionally unfortunate situation this organization finds itself in with Jalen Duren, with regard to the present and the increasingly dim possibility that he's a viable option for starting center of the future.
Ep 178Episode 221: Player Grades at the Quarter Mark (with Anthony of Pistons Talk)
This episode, featuring guest Anthony of Pistons Talk, evaluates -- and hands out grades to -- the team's major rotation players at (slightly past) the one-quarter mark of the 2024-2025 season.
Ep 177Episode 219: The Season So Far
This episode opines on the season so far, then talks Ron Holland, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren, and the question of adding another lead handler to the roster.
Ep 176Episode 218: Pistons Omnibus (with Bryce Simon of Motor City Hoops)
This episode, featuring guest Bryce Simon of Motor City Hoops, takes on a variety of Pistons-related topics.
Ep 175Episode 217: Player Vibes, Surprises, and Areas of Improvement (with Zariq of Bullyball)
This episode, featuring Zariq of Bullyball.net, discusses player vibes, the surprises of the season so far, and the areas in which the Pistons most need to improve.
Ep 174Episode 216: Sweet Victory
This episode discusses the team's first win of the season and goes over player and coaching takeaways after five games.
Ep 173Episode 215: Thoughts on the Season Opener
This episode discusses the good and the bad from a relatively enjoyable start to the season.
Ep 172Episode 214: Final Before-the-Season Review + Q&A
This episode shares final thoughts ahead of the season opener and covers some listener-suggested subjects.
Ep 171Episode 213: Early Preseason Thoughts
This episode discusses takeaways -- to the extent that takeaways from two preseason games are valid -- from preseason so far.
Ep 170Episode 212: Season Hypotheticals and Eastern Conference Preview
This episode speaks on the key swing factors for the upcoming season, then contextualizes potential scenarios in the context of an Eastern Conference preview.
Ep 169Episode 211: 2024-2025 Season Preview - Players, Lineups, and Expectations
This episode outlines probable lineups, prospective roles, areas of necessary improvement, and coaching expectations.
Ep 168Episode 210: 2023-2024 Season Awards & Cade Cunningham Season Review
This episode belatedly distributes player awards for the 2023-2024 season, then reviews Cade Cunningham's 2023-2024 season.
Ep 167Episode 209: The (Potential) Benefits of Competent Coach & Ausar Thompson Season Review
This episode discusses how competent coaching from JB Bickerstaff could improve the performance of each returning player from last season, then reviews Ausar Thompson's 2023-2024 season.
Ep 166Episode 208: Why Next Season Will Be Better & Jaden Ivey Season Review
This episode goes more in-depth on why next season should be very different from the disasters of seasons past, and then reviews Jaden Ivey's tumultuous sophomore season.
Ep 165Episode 207: Best/Worst Pistons Player Seasons Since 2014 & Isaiah Stewart Season Review
This episode goes over the best and worst Pistons seasons at each position since 2014, then reviews Isaiah Stewart's 2023-2024 season.
Ep 164Episode 206: Win Total Over/Under & Jalen Duren Season Review
This episode discusses the Vegas over/under on wins for next season's Pistons -- and why the Pistons will achieve the over -- and then recaps Jalen Duren's mixed-bag 2023-2024 season.
Ep 163Episode 205: More Summer League Takeaways + Marcus Sasser Season Retrospective
This episode examines some further takeaways from the final two games of Summer League and recaps Marcus Sasser's rookie season.
Ep 162Episode 204: Summer League So Far
This episode recaps 2025 NBA Summer League three games in.
Ep 161Episode 203: Summer League Preview, Malik Beasley, and Paul Reed
This episode briefly previews Summer League, then discusses JB Bickerstaff's intro press conference and the additions of Malik Beasley and Paul Reed.
Ep 160Episode 202: The Offseason So Far -- Tim Hardaway Jr., Free Agency, and JB Bickerstaff,
This episode discusses the trade which brought Tim Hardaway Jr. to Detroit, recaps free agency so far and opines on why in the world it's gone so slowly, and speaks about the organization's hire of JB Bickerstaff as its new head coach.
Ep 159Episode 201: 2024 NBA Draft Recap & Free Agency Preview
This feature-length episode recaps the 2024 NBA Draft and previews the fast-upcoming opening of free agency.
Ep 158Episode 200: Final 2024 NBA Draft Previews: Stephon Castle, Ron Holland, and Tidjane Salaun
This episode previews three final 2024 NBA Draft prospects: Stephon Castle of UConn, Ron Holland of the G-League Ignite, and Tidjane Salaun the LNB Pro A's Cholet. Also some talk about free agency and the draft in general.
Ep 157Episode 199: End of an Error: Adios, Monty
This episode recaps the firing of Monty Williams and previews 2024 NBA Draft prospect Cody Williams.
Ep 156Episode 198: The Endless Wait for News + Dalton Knecht Draft Profile
This episode opines briefly on the interminable wait for news on the head coach situation, then goes in-depth on prospective top-ten draft pick Dalton Knecht of the University of Tennessee.
Ep 155Episode 197: Troy Weaver's Departure + Reed Sheppard Draft Profile
This episode discusses Troy Weaver's departure from the organization, briefly sums up his tenure, and takes a close look at 2024 prospective top-five pick Reed Sheppard.
Ep 154Episode 196: 2024 NBA Draft Deep Dives - Matas Buzelis
This episode takes a close look at possible top-five pick Matas Buzelis of the G-League Ignite.
Ep 153Episode 195: The Trajan Langdon Hire & Donovan Clingan Draft Profile
This episode evaluates the selection of Trajan Langdon as Pistons President of Basketball Operation and profiles prospective top-ten draft pick Donovan Clingan.
Ep 152Episode 194: The Implications of Pick #5 (Again)
This episode recaps the draft lottery, opines on why falling to #5 has much lesser implications than it did last season, and discusses some potential picks of interest (and others of no interest).
Ep 151Episode 193: An (Extremely Meager) Defense of Tom Gores
This episode attempts to contextualize the few genuine positives to Pistons owner Tom Gores in the larger picture of the upcoming offseason, and also discusses the NBA postseason so far.