3 teams the Detroit Pistons could overtake in the Eastern Conference
The Detroit Pistons won 20 games last season and finished dead last in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit has added number one pick Cade Cunningham, who will hopefully blossom into a superstar. They also added Kelly Olynyk and Trey Lyles, but will that be enough to get them out of the cellar?
I do think Kelly Olynyk has been overlooked, as he is a better fit than Mason Plumlee and could speed up the development of the Pistons’ young guards Cunningham and Killian Hayes.
But the Pistons are still a very young team with a lot of question marks and are realistically a few years away from serious contention for a playoff spot.
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That doesn’t mean they will finish with the worst record in the conference again and I predict there will be at least three teams that the Pistons overtake in the Eastern Conference power rankings.
The Detroit Pistons will finish higher than the Orlando Magic
The Magic already had their big teardown at last season’s trade deadline, so they will be heading into next season with a very young team.
They did add Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner and Robin Lopez who help their overall talent level and depth. The Magic are hoping that Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac can come back from injuries, but even if they do, this will be a very young and inexperienced team.
Like the Detroit Pistons, the Magic will be relying heavily on recent draft picks, which is never a recipe for winning many games. I think the combination of improved chemistry and continuity on the Pistons, as well as more veteran depth, will catapult Detroit past Orlando next season.