If you are like me, then you hope the Detroit Pistons’ days of tanking are finally over, as it has been tough watching them win just 63 games in the last three seasons combined.
But there are going to be a whole lot of teams tanking next season, as there is a generational prospect in Victor Wembanyama that has front office executives salivating.
What’s not to like about a 7-foot-2 (at least) forward who can shoot the 3-ball, put the ball on the floor and penetrate, switch on the perimeter and block shots from pretty much any spot on the court?
When you watch these highlights, it’s easy to see why teams would be willing to lose for a season just for a small chance of landing a guy who many think is the next evolution of player in the NBA:
And he’s not the only one, the 2023 NBA Draft class looks really strong overall, especially at the top, so even though teams can only get a 14 percent chance at the number one pick, we are going to see some egregious tank jobs next season.
There are also teams that are just young and aren’t ready to win even if their teams aren’t technically tanking, so we are going see at least five teams battle for top draft position next season.
Will the Detroit Pistons be one of them?
Detroit Pistons Who are the frontrunners in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes?
#4 (Tie): Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers
I am going to put these two teams together because I do think both will be bad next season, but I also think that both have enough veterans and talent to surprise some people and sniff the play-in even though the Eastern Conference is going to be tough.
Both teams will be led by young backcourt duos, as the Pistons are building around Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey and the Pacers around Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin.
Both teams also have good veteran role players with guys like Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.
If everything goes right and their young players progress as expected, these two teams could be decent enough next season to keep themselves out of the running for the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
But if either suffers any significant injuries, or decides to start selling off veteran players, then they could both be right back at the bottom with their fans praying for love from the Lottery Gods.
Detroit Pistons Who are the frontrunners in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes?
#3: San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs made the play-in last season and it’s not like a Greg Popovich team to tank, so I wouldn’t be shocked at all if they overachieved again next season and stayed out of the cellar.
But they were led by All-Star Dejounte Murray who has since been traded to the Hawks, and the Spurs also let Lonnie Walker IV walk to the Lakers.
They are going to be rolling with one of the youngest rosters in the NBA, so even though they are very talented and will be disciplined and well-coached, it’s hard to see them replicating their success from last season without Murray.
This could be the second year of my life that the Spurs actually tank (the year before Tim Duncan they were egregiously tanking), as they have a young roster that is going to have a hard time winning in the loaded Western Conference.
#2: Orlando Magic
The Magic took Paolo Banchero with the #1 pick and already have a pretty good cast of young players on the roster.
The key word here is young, as Banchero is just 19-years-old and the rest of their roster is mostly made up of guys that were taken in the last few drafts.
I am also not so sure of roster fit, as the Magic have a number of bigs in Jonathan Isaac, Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr. that aren’t great matches.
The Magic have a lot of talent, but they are super young and I have no idea how these disparate pieces are ultimately going to fit together.
Detroit Pistons Who are the frontrunners in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes?
#1: Houston Rockets
Just like every other team on this list, the Rockets have a ton of young talent to build around, and their fans have to be excited about Jalen Green and Jabari Smith together.
But unlike the other teams on this list, the Rockets don’t have much veteran talent around them as just about every guy on their roster was taken in the last two drafts.
They jettisoned Christian Wood, who was one of their team leaders last season, and will probably trade Eric Gordon next season at some point as well, so nearly their entire roster will be made up of guys who are in their early 20’s.
The Rockets only won 20 games last season, and a big part of that was an unlikely seven-game winning streak, which isn’t likely to happen again next season.
The Rockets are in a very good position overall, as they have a roster loaded with guys who can be stars or solid role players in the NBA, but there is no precedent for a team this young being good, so I expect the Rockets will once-again be the worst team in the NBA next season and one of the frontrunners to land the #1 pick and get Victor Wembanyama.
The best-case scenario for the Detroit Pistons is that they aren’t terrible and somehow luck out and get a top pick anyway, as I don’t think they want to start Cade Cunningham’s career with two awful seasons, but may not yet have the personnel to really make a run at the playoffs.