NBA 2K27 is high on the Detroit Pistons, and the simulation numbers make that clear.
Across 100 regular-season runs, Detroit finished in the top three in the Eastern Conference 91 times. That kind of consistency points to a team that 2K sees as far beyond the pack and squarely in the contender conversation.
The playoff projections were even more eye-catching. In the 2027 NBA Playoffs, the game had the Pistons winning seven NBA championships, reaching the NBA Finals 16 times overall, and getting to the Eastern Conference Finals in 46 of those 100 simulations.
When it comes to individual honors, Cade Cunningham stands out as Detroit’s most likely MVP candidate. Still, the award could be tough to pry away from Victor Wembanyama, especially with how dominant the Spurs are projected to be.
Rookie of the Year isn’t much of a Detroit storyline anymore, and that’s a good sign for a franchise that has moved past its rebuilding days. Still, Ebuka Okorie could work his way into All-Rookie Team consideration if he earns enough playing time and shows off his offense.
The Pistons’ bench, meanwhile, doesn’t look built around one headline act. Daniss Jenkins, Isaiah Joe and Paul Reed could take turns giving Detroit a lift on different nights, but that doesn’t seem like a team chasing a Sixth Man of the Year-type spotlight.
Defensive Player of the Year also looks like Wembanyama’s award to lose, unless injury knocks him short of the 65-game mark. If that happens, Ausar Thompson could be in the mix, with the case that he is the best perimeter defender in the NBA.
Most Improved Player is the wild card. The award has no clear statistical formula, which makes it one of the league’s most debated honors.
Detroit has a few names that could make a jump there, especially if Ausar Thompson takes a big step offensively. NBA 2K27 also gives Ron Holland and Daniss Jenkins a shot at making noise in that race.
The one coaching note in the simulation went to J.B. Bickerstaff, which fits with Detroit’s strong team-wide projections.
But the opinion attached to that result was sharper: if Bickerstaff didn’t win Coach of the Year in either of the last two years, then he will not win it now. The argument goes that he should have taken the award in 2025, 2026 and even 2022, when he got the Cavaliers back to the postseason.
In Other News...
Pistons Opener Hinted At A Change Fans Have Wanted For Years
The Pistons entered the 2026 offseason determined to modernize an offense that too often settled for too few threes, and their regular-season opener against the Celtics offered the clearest sign yet that the message may have landed. Detroit launched 40 three-pointers in a 121-113 win, a sharp jump from last seasons 30.8 per game, and the shot profile alone looked different enough to catch the eye even before the comeback from a 22-point hole.
Duncan Robinson, Javonte Green, Isaiah Joe and Kevin Huerter all factored into the spread-the-floor approach, giving Detroit the kind of perimeter volume fans have wanted to see for years. One game does not make a season, of course, but after spending the offseason talking about the need to improve from deep, the Pistons at least gave themselves a template worth watching closely as the schedule moves on. [Read more 🡒]
John Collins Already Has The Pistons Facing A Tough Defensive Question
John Collins first night in a Pistons uniform offered an early glimpse of both the upside and the problems Detroit will have to sort through. He gave the team some useful minutes with a block and a few offensive rebounds, the kind of activity that can matter in a game where every possession counts. But the bigger takeaway came on the other end, where Collins had a rough time holding up defensively in his new setting.
Detroit tried to work around it by shifting Collins to center, hoping the matchup would settle in, but the adjustment did not really solve the issue. Paul George found room to score against him, and the problem only looked more complicated when bigger opponents came into play, including Mitchell Robinson. For a Pistons group trying to piece together lineups early, Collins fit may end up being defined less by what he can add and more by how they hide what he gives up. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Just Turned Bostons Big Debut Into A Celtics Problem
Bostons season opener quickly turned into a reminder that early NBA games can still say plenty about where a team is headed. The Celtics built a 22-point lead against Detroit, only to let it slip away in a loss that had Jayson Tatum finishing with 13 points on rough shooting while Paul George carried the offensive load with 38 points and also made his presence felt on the defensive end.
Social media did what it always does after a collapse like that, with fans split between frustration at the coaching and player execution and calls to remember how long the season is. From Detroits perspective, it was the kind of result that can travel well beyond one night, because handing Boston an opener like that immediately changes the tone around the Celtics and gives the Pistons an early jolt of attention. [Read more 🡒]