With training camp right around the corner, Andrew Brewster put together his power rankings of the Detroit Pistons’ roster. Check out where each player lands entering the 2018-19 season.
If you look at the Detroit Pistons’ salary sheet for 2018-19, there is some cause for concern.
The fourth and fifth highest-paid players are Jon Leuer and Langston Galloway. Leuer, it should be noted, barely played last season and is currently recovering from another injury suffered in the off-season.
Blake Griffin is being paid a large fortune despite not playing a full 82-game season since his rookie year.
Reggie Jackson is going to get just over $17 million (about Galloway and Leuer’s salaries, combined) for his services this season, and might not ever be the same player he was when he came to the team.
And, much to the chagrin of Detroit fans, Josh Smith is still the seventh highest-paid “player” on this team.
However, there are some bright spots.
Reggie Bullock, Luke Kennard, Stanley Johnson, and Glenn Robinson III are all solid players, each of whom make under $5 million this season.
The new rookie additions, Khyri Thomas and Bruce Brown, look ready to contribute on the wing at least on defense.
Finally, the Pistons added Jose Calderon to make sure Ish Smith can stay on the second unit where he is a deadly play maker.
I will be omitting Reggie Hearn, Keenan Evans, and Johnny Hamilton from this list.
Hearn is currently designated as a two-way player, but I don’t foresee him carrying that designation into the season. We haven’t seen Evans yet, and Hamilton is likely just a training camp body who will end up in the G League with the Grand Rapids Drive.
Now, here are your 2018-19 Detroit Pistons ranked from worst to first.