It’s easy to look at the Detroit Pistons’ schedule this year and dream about what could be.
The Pistons won just 20 games last season but fans are hoping the additions of Cade Cunningham and Kelly Olynyk, along with internal improvement from their young core of Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes, will be enough to vault them into playoff contention.
The sports books don’t see it, which is why the Pistons are predicted to win just a few more games than they did last season and miss the playoffs once again.
The Eastern Conference has gotten better across the board, with the top teams adding more star power and the bottom teams adding future stars in the draft.
Even the Central Division, which hasn’t been good top to bottom in a long time, should be competitive, so the Detroit Pistons are going to have their work cut out for them this season if they want to improve.
Detroit Pistons: The Central Division is making its move
The Atlantic Division, with the Nets, 76ers, Knicks, Celtics and Raptors will likely be the powerhouse of the Eastern Conference again this year but the Central is catching up.
The Bucks are coming off a title and will look to get back there behind perennial MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bulls have improved with additions of Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan, the Pacers are nearly always competitive and the Cavaliers, like the Pistons, have a talented young and up and coming core with a potential superstar from the draft.
It’s not going to be easy for the Pistons to improve upon their 20 wins, but fans are still more excited than they have been in years, as Detroit is finally headed in the right direction.
Here are the toughest stretches of the Pistons schedule and some games you should circle on the calendar for various reasons.