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.
The Detroit Pistons schedule has three really tough stretches
The Pistons schedule is brutal in the first half of the season but lightens up a bit through in the second half before finishing on another tough stretch.
The Pistons won’t have to wait long, as the first nine games of their schedule are against some of the best teams in the East.
They will play the Bulls twice, the Hawks, the 76ers twice, the Nets twice and finish with the Bucks. They play the Magic in the middle of that, which will be the only game where they are not underdogs. It’s possible that the Pistons will be 1-8 on November 5th, so fans are going to have to be patient as this young team tries to gel.
The next tough stretch is an 8-game stint between November 20 and December 21 when the Detroit Pistons will play the Warriors, Lakers twice, the Heat, Bucks, Clippers, Trail Blazers and finally on the road against the Suns. The last four games of this part of the schedule are on the road, so it’s going to be tough for the Pistons to win more than a couple of these.
And if the Pistons’ dreams of making the playoffs aren’t crushed by then, the final 11 games of the season come along to stamp out remaining hope.
This stretch goes from March 21st-April 10th and includes games against the Trail Blazers, Hawks, Wizards, Knicks, Nets, 76ers, Thunder, Pacers, Mavs, Bucks and finishes on the road against the 76ers.
There might not be more than 2-3 wins in that group of 11 games, so it is going to be tough for the Pistons to finish strong. These three stretches will likely determine how successful this season is, but there are plenty of other games to circle on your calendar.
Detroit Pistons schedule: Game to circle on the calendar
There are loads of potentially entertaining games in the three stretches I just described, but there are a few games in particular that I will be looking forward to this season.
The first comes on November 11th when the Detroit Pistons travel to Houston to take on Jalen Green and the Houston Rockets.
All of the Green vs. Cunningham games are going to be special and heated after Green has run his mouth non-stop this offseason over how much Detroit disrespected him by not choosing him number one.
Side note: The ironic thing about the whole Green saga is that Houston was trying desperately to trade up to take Cunningham, so the Pistons weren’t the only team who saw Cade as the clear number one. The other funny thing is that Green has spent more time talking about Detroit than he has his own team. Lastly, give me the guy who is worried more about team success. When Cade Cunningham was asked about his goals he said “make the playoffs.” Jalen Green said “win Rookie of the Year.” Rant over.
I also look forward to November 13th against Cleveland, as it will be the first time the Pistons see Evan Mobley, who was chosen third by the Cavs.
December 11th the Pistons will travel to the Big Easy to take on Zion Williamson and the Pelicans, which should be a fun game between two very young and exciting teams.
Jalen Green will hear the boos on December 18th when the Pistons get the Rockets at home which should be fun. Let’s hope Cade drops a 40-spot on his head.
On January 22nd the Pistons will play the Magic in Detroit, which should be a fun matchup between Cunningham and fellow rookie guard Jalen Suggs.
February 22nd the Pistons will take on the Celtics at home, a game I always circle because I hate the Celtics and would love the Pistons to hurt their playoff chances if possible.
I also look forward to March 10th at home vs. the Bulls, as Zach LaVine is a free agent I’d love the Pistons to pursue and I am hoping the Bulls are out of playoff contention so he’ll want to leave, maybe to an up and coming team with a superstar in the making.