Roadblocks the Pistons must overcome to be competitive this season

The bar is set pretty low for the Detroit Pistons this season, as fans aren’t expecting titles or even the playoffs, but just want the team to be competitive.

That means not being buried in the standings by January, it means being within shouting distance of the play-in tournament, it means not tanking for a 5th straight season.

But even that low bar won’t be easy for the Detroit Pistons to clear, after all, they were the worst team in the NBA last season by five games and still have a lot of unproven players.

They face many challenges on the road to being competitive this season, some of which are in their control and some of which are not.

The Detroit Pistons have to avoid injuries

The first and most obvious roadblock the Detroit Pistons need to clear is health, and their margin is razor-thin in this department.

Any injury to one of the key players would be devastating, so the Pistons have to stay healthy, especially when it comes to franchise cornerstone Cade Cunningham.

Fans already got a scare when Cade Cunningham was held out of the second preseason game, though he appears to be ok.

This particular roadblock is the biggest and most daunting, as the Detroit Pistons don’t have the depth or talent to overcome any major injuries, so nothing else matters if their stars are in street clothes again. “If healthy” are the two most important words in the Pistons’ universe this season and will be until they show they can stay on the court.