Pistons: Suns and Bucks have shown the way to the Finals for Detroit
Fans of the Detroit Pistons should be excited by what they see in the NBA Finals. Both the Suns and Bucks are smaller market teams that have never really been free agent destinations.
This is great for the league, as it gives small market fans hope that their team can do it too even without the benefit of landing a superstar in free agency.
If you look at how these two teams built success, it is very similar to how the Detroit Pistons are trying to do it under Troy Weaver.
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The Suns were especially surprising this season, but if you look at how they have been building, it makes sense, as they’ve gotten incrementally better before making the big leap.
The Detroit Pistons can have a similar trajectory, and get there even faster if they just follow the same blueprint.
Detroit Pistons: Get your star in the NBA Draft
The first step to building a winner in a small market is to get your star. Considering most superstars never think about going to a place like Detroit or Milwaukee, getting one isn’t easy, which is why you have to do it though trades or preferably the NBA Draft.
The Suns were able find Devin Booker with the 13th pick in the NBA Draft, five spots after the Pistons grabbed bust Stanley Johnson. You’re welcome, Suns!
Milwaukee took a flyer on a raw skinny athlete with the 15th pick and the rest is history, as Giannis Antetokounmpo has evolved into an all-time great.
The Pistons took Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with the 8th pick in the same draft, so you get an idea of where the Pistons went wrong.
Detroit is hoping their fortunes are changing, as they were able to get All-Rookie talent in Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart and hope to add their own superstar in the 2021 NBA Draft in Cade Cunningham.
This is how it starts, but finding the superstar in the Draft is just the first step.