The Detroit Pistons didn’t have the kind of offseason that is going to excite NBA pundits, so we are hearing the same kinds of predictions about next season that we heard before the last one.
Depending on who you ask, the Pistons either improved marginally this offseason or actually got worse, which was the thesis put forward by Bleacher Report, who put the Pistons at the top of their list of five teams that got worse this offseason.
It’s a fair position to take, as the Pistons didn’t make any splashy moves. They didn’t trade for Jaylen Brown or sign LeBron James. They aren’t getting an All-Star player back from injury, and they weren’t able to trade for Giannis.
B/R not only said the Pistons would be worse but listed 8-11 teams that could finish ahead of the Pistons next season even though Detroit is fresh off 60 wins and a #1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
It’s the kind of disrespect the Pistons should be used to, as it’s the same stuff we heard last offseason when many pundits chose Detroit to be worse than they were the season before only to watch them steamroll the East in the regular season.
Are they right this time? Are there really eight teams that could finish ahead of Detroit?
The Detroit Pistons will use the disrespect as fuel
The eight teams B/R said could finish ahead of the Pistons next season are the Knicks, 76ers, Pacers, Cavaliers, Raptors, Heat, Celtics and Hawks. They also named the Magic, Hornets and Wizards as possibilities to leapfrog Detroit.
Sounds familiar.
Last offseason, the Magic were everyone’s darlings after adding Desmond Bane. Everyone had them picked to finish in the top three, if not win the conference. Same for Atlanta, who was predicted to make that kind of leap last season. How’d that go?
There are certainly teams that could bypass the Pistons, and the East should be tougher next season, but that is not a given, and Detroit has more continuity than anyone but the Knicks.
Also, the measure for success for Detroit is no longer the regular season, so if they take a step back, that’s fine, as playoff success is what they are after and regardless of what you think of their offseason, the Pistons should be better positioned for the playoffs.
I will concede the defending champion Knicks and Cavaliers, who beat the Pistons in the playoffs last season, should be considered better entering the season, but beyond that, give me Detroit all day.
The 76ers are this year’s offseason champions, but I need to see that work on the court before I am declaring them better than Detroit. Aside from the obvious injury and age concerns with Embiid and LeBron, the 76ers have four of the highest usage players in the NBA now trying to share the ball. I also have big questions about their defense, so am in “we’ll see” mode.
Same with Indiana, Toronto, Miami, Atlanta and Boston, who are all trying to work major new pieces into their rotations. Is Haliburton back to full health? How will Zubac fit in? Did Miami keep enough of their team in the Giannis trade to still be good? Is Toronto better or worse with Kawhi? How did his offseason affect things? Can Paul George stay healthy for Boston? Is Atlanta for real and do they have enough shooting?
You could argue that all of these teams have more potential on paper than the Pistons, but I’d argue all of them also have more question marks and none of them have the best player in the conference, Cade Cunningham.
The Pistons are used to this, as they are never the favorites and almost always underestimated, which should give them fuel to go out and prove them all wrong again.
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