The Troy Weaver era for the Detroit Pistons was a masterclass in how not to build a team in the modern NBA.
No shooting, too many unskilled bigs, no balance, no fit and no veteran leaders to balance out all of the youth.
For the Pistons to improve, they have to embrace the idea of team and build a coherent roster that makes sense for the modern game, something Trajan Langdon got a start on by adding shooters in the offseason.
But it will take more than an organizational restructure for the Pistons to get back among the winning teams in the NBA, as most of the players from last year’s 14-win campaign are still on the roster.
Detroit will need improvements from the young guys and for each veteran role player to provide what the team needs. They’ll need a lot of best-case scenarios when they’ve mostly gotten the opposite in the last few seasons.
Here is the best and worst-case scenario for each Pistons player next season.
Bobi Klintman
Best-case scenario: Klintman makes the rotation out of camp as a backup power forward and shoots so well they can’t keep him on the bench. He gets 10-15 minutes per game, knocks down 40 percent of his 3-point shots and looks like a steal as well as the possible power forward in the post Tobias Harris era.
Worst-case scenario: Klintman plays most of the season in the G-League, shoots inefficiently and never makes a case to join the Pistons’ rotation. He looks lost on defense, too slow to guard wings, too weak to guard power forwards and joins the long list of Pistons’ second-round picks who never make the league.
Wendell Moore Jr.
Moore Jr. Is a former 1st-round pick out of Duke and is only 22-years old, so who knows, there might be a player in there waiting for a chance, as he’s only appeared in 54 games in two seasons for the Timberwolves.
Best-case scenario: Moore Jr. improves his shooting efficiency and makes the Pistons’ rotation at the wing. He plays solid defense and is a nice fit next to Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson. He plays well enough for the Pistons to pick up his team option for next season or to be able to flip him at the deadline.
Worst-case scenario: Moore Jr. disappears into the bowels of the G-League and we never hear from him again.
Marcus Sasser
Best-case scenario: We get the Sasser we saw for much of last season, which is a guy who was very close to shooting 50/40/90 and looked comfortable creating his own shots. Detroit gives up on Sasser as a point guard option and uses him as a high-efficiency offensive weapon off the bench. He beats out Tim Hardaway Jr. And Malik Beasley at some point of the season, making it easy for the Pistons to trade them at the deadline.
Worst-case scenario: Sasser is a man without a position. He doesn’t progress on defense or as a creator, gets buried in the depth chart and the Pistons have a 24-year-old “prospect” on their hands who they can’t play or trade.