What the Detroit Pistons should imitate from the Raptors’ franchise
The Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors may be headed in different directions in the standings but they still have a lot in common.
Both teams have had success, won titles and have dedicated fans that will stick with them even when they are terrible.
The teams are similar in market size though Toronto is considerably larger than Detroit when it comes to population.
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Neither team has really been much of a free-agent destination, as a lot of players don’t want to live in cold weather or pay the high Canadian taxes that come with being a Raptor.
This means they have to build their teams through savvy trades and the draft, and both have had success doing so, just not recently for Detroit.
The Raptors have been one of the best teams in the NBA over the last decade and there are some things about their sustained success that the Detroit Pistons can imitate.
The best part is that it looks like Detroit is trying to do just that, as they are nearly a mirror of where the Raptors were when they started their current run of success.
Detroit Pistons: Find your point guard
One of the reasons the Raptors have been so successful is that they found their leader in Kyle Lowry and stuck with him.
When the Raptors traded for Lowry in 2012, they probably had no idea he’d be the point guard and emotional leader for the next decade but here we are.
Every team needs this type of player, the guy who leads by example, always plays hard and expects the same from his teammates.
If this player is your point guard, then even better.
The Detroit Pistons hope they found their guy in Killian Hayes but it’s still way too early to know. This shouldn’t stop them from going out and getting a veteran who can lead from this spot as Hayes tries to come back from injury and develops as a point guard.
Either way, the Pistons need a smart leader at this position as the Toronto Raptors have with Kyle Lowry, who is one of the main reasons for their sustained success.