Just about everything went right for the Detroit Pistons this season on their way to their first playoff appearance in six years, something they can’t count on happening again.
It was a magical season for the Pistons, but it’s hard to recreate magic, especially when there were so many small factors that contributed to it.
The Pistons aren’t going to make sweeping changes to their roster, and they shouldn’t, as they are building around what they have and can count on some amount of improvement through development and continuity.
But running it back with the exact same team carries plenty of risk and it will be hard for the Pistons to progress to the next level if they don’t make at least a few changes.
This is not to say the Pistons should look to move young players or let all of their free agents walk, but it took a near perfect season for Detroit to nab the 6th seed, and you can’t count on that happening again.
The Detroit Pistons have real problems
While Detroit may not have any glaring weaknesses, they definitely have areas they need to improve. They lack size, especially off the bench, where Isaiah Stewart is their only big, there is no back up for Tobias Harris and the guards are all undersized.
The Pistons could certainly use more shooting, as they were still mediocre in 3-point attempts and percentage, both of which were buoyed by a record-breaking shooting year from Malik Beasley.
Detroit could use another scorer who can break down a defense and/or play off the ball, something they hope they’ll be getting when Jaden Ivey returns.
This team is not a contender as constructed, nor is it far off, but they can’t necessarily count on development only to get them there.
You can’t count on the same seasons
Is Malik Beasley ever going to have a season shooting the ball like that again? That’s a real question the Pistons need to answer before they commit big money to him. It’s hard to go by a contract year, especially when Beasley specifically bet on himself by taking a one-year deal to increase his value as a free agent.
Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schroder will be 33 and 32, respectively, at the start of next season. Can you count on a repeat from them, or will we see Father Time’s inevitable victory start to rear its ugly head?
You can’t just pencil in stats from the year before and there are real questions about whether these players can replicate what they did this season or if we’ll start to see decline.
The Pistons had injury luck
Aside from Jaden Ivey’s unfortunate season-ending injury, the Pistons had fairly good injury luck, at least until they got to the playoffs and lost Beef Stew.
This is another thing you can’t count on happening again, as injury luck is just that...luck. Some can be avoided with preparation and by signing guys without lengthy injury histories, but there is no telling when or where the injury curse might strike.
Ask the Magic, who everyone pencilled into the top four in the Eastern Conference before the season only to watch them slip because of injuries and needs they didn't address.
If the Pistons were to lose a regular or two next season we could see a real slide, so it’s something they need to prepare for by increasing their quality depth.
The Pistons need more offense
We always talk about how defense wins championships, but the truth is that it takes both, as every team that makes it deep into the playoffs is at least competent defensively, but you're not going too far if you can't score.
Only one of the final four teams (OKC) is top five in defense, with Minnesota (6th), New York (13th) and Indiana (14th) while these teams are 4th, 5th, 9th and 2nd in offense, respectively.
The Pistons had a top 10 defense this season, but were just 14th in offense, and it showed in the playoffs at times when they struggled mightily to score in the half court when the games slowed down. It showed up in clutch time again and again when the Pistons blew leads because they were unable to get buckets.
I don’t think you can count on internal development alone to get the offense to where it needs to be.
A little fresh blood is always a good thing
Again, I am not calling for sweeping changes, but a little fresh blood injected into the roster would be a good thing.
The Pistons want continuity and that should be a big part of what they are trying to build, as the best teams don’t retool their roster every season, but they need to find the right additions to keep things fresh.
Messaging that may have worked this year may not work next year, so it’s always good to have a few new voices in the huddle, especially if they can bring in players who have made deep playoff runs and bring that experience.
While the idea of running it back does have appeal, the Pistons need to make at least 1-2 impact additions who can help them get to the next level, otherwise they risk running in place, or even worse, backsliding out of the playoff picture.