The Eastern Conference might have gotten better around the Pistons, but Detroit retains a key advantage in continuity by having their core group of players remain unchanged. The Pistons will bring back their best offensive and defensive players in Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson, respectively. And if they can also re-sign Jalen Duren without a huge hit to team chemistry, they will go into next season with more development for the same young core while their rivals scramble to fit new stars into the fold.
The Pistons' patience could be a virtue
Despite all the frustration from fans with the Pistons' general inactivity this offseason, that approach could wind up paying off if their young players continue to develop properly. Detroit is still a very young team with the oldest member of its core being a 25-year-old Cunningham. They've made some key additions in supporting pieces which should only allow their young stars to shine brighter.
Along the way, the Pistons have resisted giving up any notable assets to build their team. They lost some role players from last season but retain all their first-round picks moving forward, which should give them ample ammo to make a big trade when the time is right. In the meantime, the Pistons will enter next season with a degree of comfort and familiairty not found among most other East contenders.
Other teams, including the reigning champion Knicks, have found championship success by building a team for multiple years after a big trade. For the Pistons, that could look like a year or two of further development from Thompson and Duren before taking a swing to solve the team's big issues. Rushing to solve those problems now without giving those two youngsters more of a chance to build up their games could be a waste of assets, as well as surrendering the continuity advantage.
The playoffs are where the Pistons will be tested
Even with the public perception of the Pistons offseason compared to other teams, I still expect them to be near the top of the East in the regular season because of their continuity and strong team identity on defense. Just like last season, the Pistons have great depth with tons of solid defenders coming off the bench. Over the long regular season, this should wear down opponents and net the Pistons plenty of wins, although maybe not as many as last season's 60.
However, continuity and depth become less important in the playoffs as teams shorten rotations and use their regular season learnings. Even there, newly formed superteams usually struggle in their first year together unless they retain a strong core identity, which should be a warning sign to the 76ers and Heat. Unlike those squads, the Pistons have already seen the merits and flaws of their roster makeup in the playoffs last season, so they should be able to improve on them for the next postseason.
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