In the world of hip-hop it may be looked down upon to “ride another person’s wave.” However, in sports, following the blueprint of another franchise could be the difference between a playoff berth and an early off-season. Now it’s worth noting that the path taken by one team may not work for another. Nevertheless, copying successful moves made by other ball clubs should work in your favor, which is something the Detroit Pistons should do.
The 2020-21 Hawks are the blueprint for the Detroit Pistons
In the 2019-20 NBA season, the Atlanta Hawks finished in 14th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They were by far one of the worst teams that year. Most people knew this team had the potential to be better in the future, but I’m not sure that anyone expected such an immediate turnaround. In one off-season the Hawks had successfully went from a rebuilding team to legit contenders.
It all started with the draft. Most people are split on whether building through the draft is the best way to go. On one hand you get quality young talent at a much cheaper price tag than signing a veteran.
On the other hand, it can be a gamble, and you could end up stuck with a player that doesn’t fit your system, or a raw prospect with an unpolished game. In the Hawks’ case the draft had served them well, as they got Cam Reddish in 2019, Kevin Huerter in 2018 and John Collins in 2017, three players who played big roles for the Hawks in the future. They also drafted Luka Doncic before trading him away for Trae Young.
The next step was to utilize trades and free agency to make the team better. This is a list of the players that were signed or traded to Atlanta:
- Danilo Gallinari
- Clint Capela
- Bogdan Bogdanović
- Rajon Rondo
- DeAndre Hunter
- Solomon Hill
- Lou Williams
- Tony Snell
These players all played a part in catapulting the Hawks into playoff contention in just one year.
The Detroit Pistons are in a similar situation
Here’s where we start to connect the dots, so to speak. In the final 10 games of this past regular season the Pistons had four wins. Similarly, the Atlanta Hawks had four wins in the final 10 games of the 2019-20 campaign. This has me optimistic. If Atlanta could end on such a bad note, but jump ship so swiftly, then why on earth can’t we?
The Detroit Pistons have already slowly followed the footsteps of the 19-20 Hawks unknowingly by drafting a star PG in Cade Cunningham. Both Cade and Trae are the leaders of their respective franchises, and the unquestioned best players.
Detroit also drafted a big man (Isaiah Stewart), who is already a better rebounder than Collins. Saddiq Bey is a good scorer at the 3-spot, similar to Huerter at the two. So far every move they’ve made we can point to a move that either piggybacked, or one upped theirs.
The next step is to round out our roster through free agency and trades like the Hawks did so effectively. We’ve already begun down the correct path with the acquisition of Marvin Bagley III, now we just need to continue to acquire talented players similar to Gallinari, Capela, Williams, and Hunter.
The Detroit Pistons’ future is bright
The Pistons are indeed poised for a big year. Maybe not conference leading big, but bigger than 23 wins. We have the foundational pieces, the draft picks, the cap space and the leadership. With the right push the Detroit Pistons can be a Cinderella team in next years post-season.
If they make the right moves, the Detroit Pistons could be the punch the NBA doesn’t see coming next season.