The bar was set pretty low for the Detroit Pistons this season and they still failed to clear it.
Most preseason predictions had them winning more than the 23 games they won last season, and some wide-eyed optimists like myself had them winning 28 games.
But that was before Cade Cunningham went out for the season, so expectations lowered significantly to where we are now, hoping for losses and the max chance to get the #1 pick.
A lot has been said about the importance of the upcoming offseason, as the fanbase is getting impatient with all the tanking and wants to see some kind of progress towards the restoration we’ve been hearing about for 3+ years.
To their credit, Pistons’ fans have been patient and will continue to be as long as the signs of a future that doesn’t involve copious use of the word “tank” are somewhere in sight.
That doesn’t mean an instant leap into the playoffs necessarily, but it’s safe to say that fans will not be satisfied with another season of 20 wins. With that in mind, how many wins would it take for next season to be considered a success?
Detroit Pistons: How many wins will it take to make next year a success?
Watching teams like OKC, Cleveland and even Orlando jump in the standings this season has been tough, as many of us thought the Detroit Pistons were going to do the same.
Instead, the Pistons went the other direction, and we can’t even hang our hats on player development, as injuries have kept their young roster from playing with its full complement of players for most of the season.
Because of that, and the fact that the 2023 free agent group isn’t great, it’s hard to predict just how much the Pistons can and will improve next season. They’ll basically be starting from scratch with Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and James Wiseman, who have yet to even practice together as a group.
We can count on some improvement from the young guys, but as we’ve seen this season, development is not linear and it’s going to take some time for them to build chemistry. They should have a better supporting cast next season, but that is also not a given, and they’ll likely be trying to work another rookie into the rotation.
So I look to Orlando for the minimum of what the Pistons should be next season, a team that has already won 30 games and is within shouting distance of the play-in tournament. But that would be nearly double their win total from right now, so realistically, they may fall short of that number unless a lot of things go right, including nailing the draft, getting Cade back 100 percent healthy and finding the right players in free agency or trades.
30 wins would represent some progress, but would it be enough to keep fans happy and hopeful? One thing is for certain, if they have another season like this, people’s jobs will be at stake and more fans are going to start to lose faith.