How many estimated wins have the Detroit Pistons added?

My biggest complaint about the Troy Weaver era was that he never seemed to have a plan other than to lose a lot of games and get high draft picks.

The Pistons never had a coherent roster under his leadership and it lacked the qualities that define a modern NBA team, namely shooting, two-way wings and rim protection, which hurt the development of the young talent he did acquire.

You may not agree with all of Trajan Langdon’s moves so far, or perhaps think he should have done more, but one thing is clear: He has a plan. 

He added veteran shooters who complement the young core and can push them competitively. None of them are on deals that extend past two years, which lines up with the next contracts for Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren. 

With Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. And Paul Reed on board, the Pistons may not have a contending roster, but they finally have one that makes sense. 

They have some exciting wing prospects, shooting, versatile bigs and an overall more-balanced team. 

But will that lead to more wins? 

Detroit Pistons estimated win total could be even higher than predicted 

Andrew Bailey from Bleacher Report recently put together estimated wins for next season to see which teams improved the most so far this offseason. 

These estimates did not include Paul Reed, but even without him, the Pistons are predicted to improve more than all but one team in the NBA, the OKC Thunder with an estimated 10.4 additional wins. 

Let’s first put the caveats out there: The first is that the Pistons won 14 games last season, so even if they won 10 more, they still suck and are probably near the bottom of the league again. They had the most room for improvement, so it makes sense that their estimated win total would go up with even moderate changes.

The other caveat is that this isn’t a perfect way to predict wins (there isn't one), but does show just how horrible James Wiseman was last season. 

I would also argue that the Pistons could and should win far more than 10 extra games next season just based on the moves they’ve made so far.

Last season they were riddled with injuries, had a coach who didn’t even show up and a GM who did nothing before the season started. 

This year, they’ve added veterans who may not be All-Stars but rarely miss games. Durability and availability were obviously qualities Langdon was looking for when he traded for THJ and signed Harris, Beasley and Reed, all of whom have been reliably healthy in their careers.

The Pistons were missing veteran players to injuries to start last season and by the time they returned, it was way too late to matter. By the end of last season, they were playing a G-League roster because of injuries. 

Durability alone should net the Pistons an extra ten wins next season, when they won’t be tanking down the stretch and won’t endure a 28-game losing streak while their coach naps. 

Hell, just getting rid of Monty Williams might be enough to get 10 extra wins. 

If this roster gels, they could easily double their win total from last season (a low bar to clear) and if everything falls into place, they should at least be out of the bottom of the Eastern Conference. 

I’m not going to be foolish enough to predict unlikely win totals or a play-in appearance, but I do think the Pistons have a chance to improve as much as any team next season, but given how bad they were, Detroit still has a long way to go.