The Detroit Pistons will enter next season with a young roster and a lot to prove.
Is this a team that is finally ready to compete for a play-in spot or will the tank be on again? That is the question many fans are asking, as the Pistons definitely have talent, but may still be a year away since most of their players are in their early 20’s.
There is also a potential generational prospect coming out in next year’s draft, so young teams that falter early may take steps to put themselves in position to land the #1 pick, though even the best odds make it a long shot.
I do think the Detroit Pistons will enter next season with the intention of winning games, as they don’t want all of their young guys to start their careers as losers who haven’t played a meaningful game.
It will likely be well over half the season before we know if the Detroit Pistons are going to tank, and this team will be given around 55 games to prove themselves.
Detroit Pistons: We’ll know if the tank is on by the trade deadline
Last season’s trade deadline came at the 55 game mark and this year’s will be close to that as well.
This is likely the marker Troy Weaver will use to decide if his team is ready to compete for a play-in spot and take the next step as a franchise or if the tank is on again.
If the Pistons are anywhere near .500 at the trade deadline, I think they will try to make a run at the playoffs, and we may even see them add some veteran talent to the roster.
If the team has won 12 games (the mark they hit at last season’s trade deadline), then we could see a flurry of moves, including trading all of the veterans for future draft consideration, which will tell us the Detroit Pistons are tanking.
Detroit Pistons: Veteran trades tell us the tank is on
If the Detroit Pistons have won, say, 20+ games at the deadline, I think they will go for it and try to get their young players some valuable experience playing in games that could be meaningful for a run at the play-in.
But if not, it’s likely their roster will get a makeover, as they have several veterans on what are essentially expiring contracts that may have some value on the trade market.
Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Kelly Olynyk will all have value to contending teams that need depth, and even guys like Cory Joseph and Hamidou Diallo could be shipped out.
None of these guys are part of the long-term plans and are on deals that either expire, aren’t fully guaranteed or are team options the following season, which will make them easy to trade.
Burks in particular will have value at the deadline, especially if he ends up the in starting lineup or is the Pistons’ leading bench scorer while shooting 40 percent or better from 3-point range.
Same with Kelly Olynyk, as teams are always looking to add shooters at the deadline. If the Pistons get off to another horrible start, expect these two to be playing for different teams by the middle of February.
You can also expect some other changes to the rotation.
Detroit Pistons: The youth takeover after the trade deadline
If the Pistons do end up shipping out most or all of their veterans at the trade deadline, we will know the tank is on and the rotation is going to be even younger.
Jalen Duren will be the youngest player in the NBA next season at just 18-years-old, and if the Pistons have given up trying to win by the deadline, he will suddenly be getting a lot more action.
Same for Jaden Ivey, who could share minutes with Burks early on, but will almost certainly be playing 30+ minutes down the stretch if the Pistons decide to go very young.
Detroit will already have one of the youngest rosters in the league anyway, but if things go south before the trade deadline, they will run out a team of mostly guys who are not old enough to buy beer or rent a car.
I am hoping the Detroit Pistons are closer to .500 at the deadline so we can finally start cheering for this team to win and play meaningful games, but they will only get around 55 games to prove themselves before Troy Weaver starts looking towards the future.