The Detroit Pistons finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference last season, winning only 20 games on their way to the number one pick in the NBA Draft.
They got their guy in Cade Cunningham, a complete prospect who could be the next superstar in the NBA.
They’ve also added free agent Kelly Olynyk, who should help the young guards develop, as well as Trey Lyles, who gives the Pistons another shooter off the bench.
Other than waiting to see what will happen with Hamidou Diallo and Frank Jackson, the Pistons’ roster is more or less set and I think they can count on getting better between their additions and internal improvement from their young core.
The Detroit Pistons played competitively last season even though they didn’t win much, and hope to turn some of those close losses into wins. Cade Cunningham thinks the Pistons can get to the playoffs in his first season, but he may have to pump the brakes on that.
The rest of the Eastern Conference got better as well, and the conference is deeper than it has been in a long time, so where does that leave the young Pistons?
Let’s take a look at the current power rankings for the Eastern Conference and where the Pistons stand. Have they moved up?
Eastern Conference power rankings: The Bucks are the team to beat
Until Giannis Antetokounmpo shows some signs of decline or decides to go to another team, the reigning champion Milwaukee Bucks are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
They have a great trio in Giannis, Middleton and Jrue Holiday along with solid role players like Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis, who recently re-signed. They did lose PJ Tucker which will hurt, but they brought in George Hill, Rodney Hood and Semi Ojeleye, who could take Tucker’s role.
East Power rankings #2-Brooklyn Nets
From top to bottom the Nets probably have the most talent, but I don’t trust them all to stay healthy.
They’ve added some toughness with James Johnson, and added another potential bench scorer in the draft in Cameron Thomas.
They re-signed former Pistons Blake Griffin and Bruce Brown but did lose backup Spencer Dinwiddie, who didn’t play last season anyway. Instead they inked Patty Mills, who adds some insurance against the inevitable Kyrie Irving injury. The Nets are going to be very good.
Eastern Conference power rankings #3- Miami Heat
It seems like the Heat find a way to cobble together a really good roster every offseason without ever having a top draft pick. It’s pretty impressive.
This offseason they grabbed free agent Kyle Lowry who was one of the better players to change teams. They brought in one of the Morris twins (does it matter which one at this point?) and PJ Tucker, who will add some goon to their bench.
Miami re-signed Duncan Robinson to a fat deal and gave Jimmy Butler what will be the worst contact in the NBA in a few years. But that’s down the road.
The Heat are loaded at the top but don’t have much depth, so any injury to one of their top guys could send them spiraling. This one is the most tentative.
#4- Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers are a tough team to predict, as they were the best team in the Eastern Conference last season but are going through a lot of trade drama with Ben Simmons.
They added former Piston Andre Drummond, who went from a max guy to a minimum one practically overnight.
I can’t see him being a huge upgrade over Dwight Howard, and the 76ers haven’t done much else except re-sign their own guys, so I could see them falling if the Simmons’ drama lingers. If they trade Simmons, all bets are off for where they will end up.
#5- Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks will be running it back with the same team after extending John Collins and Trae Young and bringing back Lou Williams. With the additions at the top, I can’t see them making another huge leap, though I could definitely see a scenario where they are the three seed.
The Detroit Pistons will be trying to imitate the Hawks this season and making the leap from the basement to the playoffs.
#6- New York Knicks
The Knicks have actually had a really good offseason, so you might wonder why I’ve dropped them two spots. This is more about what other teams have done as well as the fact that the Knicks overachieved a bit last season with a veteran roster.
The Knicks brought back most of their own free agents, then added Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker. On paper they should be better than last season but I just don’t trust Kemba to stay healthy. This one could be wildly off, as the Knicks have some talent and if every single thing breaks right, they could claw to the top of the East, but if one thing goes wrong…
Eastern Conference power rankings #7- Charlotte Hornets
I think the Hornets have quietly had a great offseason and added more weapons around LaMelo Ball. I really liked their draft after they got James Bouknight and Kai Jones.
They also added former Piston Mason Plumlee in a trade and grabbed free agent Kelly Oubre Jr. who should be very good with their young core.
This would be a fairly big leap for them but I think the Hornets are finally clawing their way out of mediocrity.
#8- Boston Celtics
The Celtics haven’t done much this offseason, and will be relying on internal improvement from their stars to fare better than they did last season, which was a disappointing one for them.
They lost Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, Tristan Thompson, and Semi Ojeleye and added Josh Richardson, Al Horford, Kris Dunn, and Enes Kanter, Bruno Fernando.
Celtics fans can’t be happy, though losing Kemba Walker’s injury problems will help, but they are putting a lot of faith in Jayson Tatum to make yet another leap as a player.
#9- Toronto Raptors
The Raptors moved on from franchise icon Kyle Lowry, and it looks like Pascal Siakam will start the season injured, so it’s hard to predict where they will ultimately end up as they try to rebuild on the fly.
Draft pick Scottie Barnes will help them right away but I don’t think it will be enough to overcome the loss of Lowry and Siakam. They did add Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa, so if things break right, they could be back in the playoffs.
Eastern Conference power rankings #10- Chicago Bulls
I think a lot of people will have the Bulls much higher on this list after they traded for Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan.
I could be wrong, but I don’t think Lonzo Ball is that great (I’ve watched a LOT of him) and have a hard time understanding how his role will be any different on the Bulls, who will also have two ball dominant players.
The Bulls have the top-end talent but I am not sure how it all meshes and if/when it doesn’t they will have a ton of money tied up in four guys whose ceiling might be middle of the pack in the East.
After writing this, the Bulls will probably win the Eastern Conference so you’re welcome, Chicago!
#11-Washington Wizards
The Wizards are a tough team to predict and off all the teams at the bottom, I think they are most likely to outplay this prediction.
They lost Russell Westbrook, which will hurt more than people think, and replaced him with Spencer Dinwiddie, who hasn’t played in a LONG time. It was a risky move to give him that big deal and if he isn’t the guy he was before the injury, that one is going to hurt.
They added all the Lakers’ cast offs in KCP, Montrezl Harrell and Kyle Kuzma, so they do have more depth in addition to draft pick Corey Kispert. If Dinwiddie is still good and Beal stays healthy, they could compete for a playoff spot, but if not, they have a lot of weird pieces and I am not sure how they all fit.
#12- Detroit Pistons
Finally, the Detroit Pistons make their appearance on the list. Even though they have added some talent and should be better than last season, I still think the Pistons are one season away from making a real run at the playoffs.
With so many young players, it’s going to be tough to climb much higher than this, even though I do think Cade Cunningham can help guys like Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart reach a new level.
Olynyk was a great free-agent signing and the Detroit Pistons could definitely surprise some people this season and make the play-in tournament. But I am not going to jinx that possibility by predicting it, so I am happy to put them 12th and hope to be wrong.
Eastern Conference power rankings #13- Indiana Pacers
It’s always foolish to count the Pacers out, as they are usually in or around the playoffs every season. The Pacers had a pretty good draft, adding Chris Duarte and Isaiah Jackson but they also lost Doug McDermott and didn’t do much else.
I’m not sure where the Pacers are headed, but barring a big trade their roster is about the same or even worse than last season.
#14- Cleveland Cavaliers
Like the Detroit Pistons, the Cavaliers will be hoping to make a big leap after adding a potential superstar in the draft in Evan Mobley.
They already had a very good young core and re-signed Jarrett Allen to a huge inexplicable contract to keep in him in it.
They did add point guard Ricky Rubio, but I can’t see them moving up until they move on from Kevin Love and do something with Collin Sexton.
#15- Orlando Magic
The Magic have to be happier about their roster going into this season than they were last, but they are going to be a very young team full of pieces that may not fit.
They have a glut of point guards and probably have a trade to make at some point. The offseason isn’t over yet, so they might make that trade and bring in another guy like Ben Simmons, who knows.
But for now they are a young, rebuilding roster who may be the first team to start tanking next season.