Ranking the East: Where do the Detroit Pistons stand?

5) Indiana Pacers

It has certainly been a confusing offseason for the Pistons’ Central Division rivals. George HIll was a glue guy for Indiana, but there’s no question Jeff Teague is an upgrade on the offensive end of the floor. Thaddeus Young is a solid addition to their frontcourt, and Al Jefferson was a bargain. Ian Mahinmi is no small loss, but Myles Turner‘s ascendance likely gave the team confidence to let him go.

Larry BIrd cited a desire to play faster as one of the reasons for Frank Vogel’s firing, then went out and signed Jefferson. Huh? There’s definitely some confusion about how this team will play under Nate McMillan, but it’s hard to picture a team with Jeff Teague, Paul George, Thaddeus Young and one of last season’s best rookies finishing any worse than fifth or sixth in the East, regardless of how porous their starting backcourt is on the defensive end.

6) Atlanta Hawks

My hot take: Dwight Howard/Paul Millsap/Dennis Schroder is not as good as Al Horford/Millsap/Jeff Teague, even discounting the high probability of injury and continued decline for Howard. Kyle Korver is on a sharp decline, too, and Jarrett Jack, while a good veteran presence on an affordable deal, is a bit underwhelming as a backup point guard.

The Hawks organization is structurally sound, so I can’t imagine them slipping any further than sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. But I’m much more apt to place them according to their worst-case scenario, rather than their best.

Next: Nos. 7, 8 and the bubble