The Detroit Pistons season is officially over, but there are still important dates on the horizon.
With the NBA set to resume in late July, the Detroit Pistons will be among the eight total teams that have been left out. Though their games would have still had meaning, in that their draft position could’ve been effected, there was no real need to have them present.
So although it’s a bit of a bummer, we get it. A painful season in which we saw Detroit win just one game following the February 6th trade deadline. In their final 13 games, the Pistons only found a way to win once.
The rebuild is in the works, the entire roster is banged up, and at the end of the day it’s likely for the best that the sun has set on this year.
Moving forward, the landscape of the league could change permanently. COVID-19 has so drastically impacted the structure of the traditional NBA schedule that we could be looking at a total shift in the league’s calendar year.
As it stands, here are some of the most important dates to keep an eye on for Pistons fans:
August 25th: The Draft Lottery
The first significant date that Detroit will mark on their calendars is the lottery. Currently sitting on the fifth best odds to land the top overall pick, it could serve as the first glimmer of hope that Pistons fans have had in quite some time.
If the ping pong balls fall in Detroit’s favor, the could be looking at selecting the point guard of their future.
October 15th: The NBA Draft
Had things been playing out as anticipated, the draft would have been right around the corner. The NBA Finals would be wrapping up, and we as Pistons fans would have something to look forward to in the very near future.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. We now have to wait four more months to see who the franchise picks as their next top dog. In the eyes of the fans, the ideal candidate could range from Tyrese Haliburton, LaMelo Ball, Killian Hayes, or Obi Toppin.
October 18th: Free agency opens
As soon as Pistons fans are (hopefully) wrapping up their celebrations over whoever the team drafts, they’ll be waiting anxiously to see what happens in free agency. With more open cap space than they’ve had in recent memory, what they chose to do will be interesting to say the least.
Though the free agent class is rather lackluster, it’s been known that teams are looking to pry Christian Wood away from the Pistons, so prioritizing his re-signing is of the upmost importance.
In all likelihood they’ll address their point guard issues in the draft, but if not, free agency is where they’ll do it. With so much open salary, they could also opt to make some trades.
December 1st: 2020-2021 NBA season begins
Training camp will open on November 10th, and the season itself won’t be too far behind. One could assume that they’l cut down on preseason games this year given the short layoff that a majority of players will have.
By this time, the Pistons will have been able to construct the roster that they feel comfortable with heading into their first full season under the rebuild. It will have been just under nine months since Detroit last took the floor.
This means that players like Luke Kennard, Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose will be at full strength. It all seems further away than what we’re comfortable with, but Pistons basketball will arrive soon enough.