Detroit Pistons: One thing to be worried about every Western Conference team

Teams Detroit would like to be

The next four teams aren’t particularly exciting and it’s doubtful they will win the Western Conference, but they have what the Pistons are looking for: consistent success. These four teams have drafted extremely well, developed talent and made well-timed trades, things that Detroit has not. These four teams will be battling it out in the middle-to-upper half of the Western Conference and all have ways to kill you.

San Antonio Spurs

Yawn, another year, another Spurs team in the playoffs. The Spurs once again used a combination of savvy veterans and role players to win 48 games in the crowded West. They are a machine that just keeps winning no matter who is on the roster. Obviously, Demar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge are the focus for most teams, but what Detroit should really be worried about is San Antonio’s role players.

DeRozan and Aldridge typically kill Detroit and are as steady as they come, so the Pistons must focus on shutting down Marco Belinelli, Patty Mills, DeMarre Carroll and the rest of the Spurs team that you likely haven’t heard of. Belinelli and Mills provide instant offense and both averaged double digits versus Detroit last season. San Antonio always has a few anonymous killers, so the Pistons must be worried about the Spurs’ bench, which is deeper and better.

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz are one of the few teams in the league whose big man should worry Detroit. Rudy Gobert is coming off a victory against team USA in the FIBA World Cup, where he dominated the Americans on both ends of the floor. He plays hard, pounds the boards and is probably the best rim protector in the league. He had a game of 18 points and 25 rebounds against Detroit last year, so their primary worry should be Gobert.

The Stifle Tower is now surrounded by play makers in Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley, so Detroit cannot allow Utah to kill them with the pick and roll. This is one of the games Detroit will use to gauge Drummond and his future with the team.

Portland Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers are another team who seem to have had the same roster forever. They are always in the middle of the pack in the West and last year finally broke through to the Western Conference Finals. They are a sneaky good pick to make it back there, as they are basically running back the same team in a Western Conference that figures to be even more competitive. Aside from Brown, Detroit lacks defense at the guard position so their biggest concern should be the backcourt of the Trailblazers, which is one of the best, if not the best, in the entire NBA.

Detroit was lucky to miss CJ McCollum last year, but the real concern should be Damian Lillard, who torched Detroit for 25 a game last season. The Pistons will have a hard time with quick point guards, as their backcourt is a step slow. With only Jackson, Luke Kennard, Brown and Rose to throw at the Blazer’s guards, the Pistons should be very worried about Portland’s backcourt.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets are often overlooked in the West because they don’t have a well-known superstar and don’t get a lot of looks on national television. Though the Nuggets feature first team All-NBA center Nikola Jokic, there is no one player that should concern Detroit, rather the entire team.

Aside from Jokic, Denver doesn’t have a superstar, but they also don’t have any bad players. Every guy on their team is good, so Detroit will have a difficult time matching up with their depth. Denver added even more depth in the draft, taking risks on the potential of Bol Bol and Michael Porter Jr., two guys with high upside. Denver is set to contend now and well into the future and they are doing it by putting a deep and talented roster on the floor that can beat teams in many ways. They may not have any household names, but Denver’s roster should be the envy of the league.