Detroit Pistons: Why the Pistons won’t make the playoffs
I think the Detroit Pistons are a tough team to call, but they only won 20 games last season and most predictions will have them out of the playoffs again next season.
This makes sense, as they are one of the most inexperienced teams in the league and will be expecting rookie Cade Cunningham to lead them.
Cunningham has superstar potential, but point guard is the toughest position in the league to learn and he is bound to have some growing pains along the way.
Most of the Pistons best players are going to be youngsters, and with the exceptions of Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk, the Pistons will be counting on a lot of inexperienced players to get it done.
Also, the Eastern Conference has improved, with teams like the Bulls, Hornets, Wizards and Raptors all expected to be better and to join the teams at the top in the playoffs.
The Pistons would have to overtake four teams from last season just to make the play-in tournament, which will be tough, as they have all improved.
If you look at a realistic timeline for contention, the Pistons are most likely to make moderate gains but still come up just short of the playoffs.
But if you look more closely, this isn’t as daunting as it might seem.