The young Detroit Pistons are eager to prove that they belong in the conversation for best up-and-coming team in the NBA.
But they won’t get forever to do it, as the Pistons will have to evaluate where they are at the trade deadline which will be about 55 games into the season.
The biggest question at that point will be whether the team is actually playing well and hovering near the .500 mark.
If they are, then I wouldn’t expect any big changes to the starting lineup or depth chart, though the Pistons could certainly add a veteran player if they feel they are on the cusp of making a run at the play-in tournament.
But if the Detroit Pistons are looking like a lottery team again, we could get a look at the starting lineup of the future, which will bring its own set of questions.
Detroit Pistons starting lineup after the trade deadline will answer questions
Let’s say the season does not go to plan and the Pistons are staring down lottery odds again instead of playoff standings.
There will be pressure on Dwane Casey to unleash the starting lineup of the future, which could look like this:
- Cade Cunningham
- Jaden Ivey
- Saddiq Bey
- Isaiah Stewart
- Jalen Duren
Duren is just 18-years-old, the youngest player in the NBA, so he’s not expected to start right away, but we could see him there post-trade deadline, as it is possible that Detroit will have traded away some of their veteran front court depth with guys like Nerlens Noel and Kelly Olynyk hitting the trade market.
Same with Jaden Ivey, who will likely start right away, but could come off the bench if coach Casey decides to go with veteran Alec Burks and his 40 percent shooting from 3-point range.
We all expect to see this starting five at some point in the future, but the post-deadline roster will also answer a lot of questions.