Coming into the offseason, fans wondered if the Detroit Pistons would make sweeping changes to the worst team in franchise history or continue on the path GM Troy Weaver had taken them down.
It turns out we got some of each, as the Pistons cleaned house in the front office and coaching staff while tinkering with the roster, adding veterans without making any dramatic trades.
Trajan Langdon is on his own timeline, evaluating his player to see which ones will be part of the future. The veterans he brought in are on short-term deals, so it will be a chance to see guys like Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey with a better cast around them without committing to anything long term.
I wouldn’t expect the Pistons to make the playoffs next season, but if they don’t make some kind of progress, more questions will begin to emerge about their young core.
So, what does that look like? How many wins would satisfy a fanbase that is running low on patience?
Detroit Pistons over/under and record predictions
I’ll do my preview closer to the season, but now that the full Pistons schedule has been released, other outlets have started making their predictions.
Bleacher Report predicts a record of 23-59 for the Pistons with an over/under of 25.5, not exactly the kind of big leap fans are hoping for.
If everyone is healthy next season and the Pistons only win 23 games, I’d say that would be disappointing even though it’s a nine-win bump from last season.
Sadly, until they prove otherwise, the over/under is fair. There are certainly worlds in which the Pistons exceed those expectations, but they could also fall short of them if things don’t break their way.
Here’s what could go right, and what could go wrong.