The Detroit Pistons are five days from the 2024-25 regular season and if you asked the players and fans the goal for this year it would be the same: to play competitive basketball.
It’s a low but important bar for the league’s worst team to clear as they try to prove that things will be different than the last five seasons.
What that looks like depends on who you ask, but most would be happy if the Pistons won 30+ games and competed for a play-in spot.
What we all agree on is that it can’t be more of the same, and if it is, big questions will have to be asked and sweeping changes could once again be considered.
There are plenty of compelling storylines heading into the regular season, but these five could determine whether the Pistons and their fans get what they want.
#5: How will the new veterans integrate with the young core?
We got a glimpse of how this will work in preseason and so far, it looks as though Tobias Harris and Malik Beasley will have a positive impact on the Pistons this season in several ways.
Both are known and respected shooters, so their presence alone helps the spacing in the offense, and unlike past Pistons’ veterans, they can do more than just stand behind the 3-point line.
The Pistons have lacked functional NBA players for years and if nothing else, these two are certainly that. The book is still out on whether Tim Hardaway Jr. will be anything but an expiring contact and some second-round picks, but the fit of Harris and Beasley is not a concern, they are going to help.
#4: Will Ron Holland make an immediate impact in the rotation?
For most of the summer we talked about the possibility of rookie Ron Holland not even being in the rotation at the start of the season and the potential of him spending time in the G-League.
But the absence of Ausar Thompson coupled with Holland’s play in preseason have made those scenarios less likely.
Holland was a difference maker off the bench with his defense, rebounding and overall energy. He’s going to make mistakes, miss some shots badly and take his lumps as all rookies do, but he looked ahead of schedule as a defender and passer.
I was particularly impressed with his ability to play aggressive defense without fouling, something that will have to carry over to the regular season for him to get consistent rotation minutes.
Holland is a bit of a wild card this season, as no one expected much out of him given his age and experience, so if he can contribute it would be a nice bonus for the Pistons.
#3: Is Cade Cunningham going to make an All-Star leap?
I don’t think it’s a bold prediction to say that if Cade Cunningham stays healthy all season that this will make his first All-Star appearance.
Cunningham hasn’t gotten much respect this offseason, especially in recent ESPN rankings, but preseason already showed what a little spacing can do for a guy whose had none of it so far in his career.
Cunningham played with pace in the latter stages of preseason, getting to his spots quickly and not holding onto the ball too long, which led to a big decrease in turnovers. He has elite shooters around him now to go along with a lob threat in Jalen Duren and a dangerous slasher in Jaden Ivey who is also starting to hit 3-point shots.
There is a good chance Cade ends up in the top-5 in the NBA in assists per game with all of these new weapons, and a few more team wins means people will pay slightly more attention.
I could care less about individual awards as long as the Pistons are winning, but if they are Cunningham will be an All-Star.
#2: Is Jaden Ivey going to make a leap too?
I have admittedly been skeptical about Ivey over the years, mostly out of impatience and fear he’s not a great fit with Cade Cunningham.
We still don’t know for sure that he is, but if preseason was any indication, things are looking a lot more hopeful. Ivey was more efficient, picked his spots and didn’t press and most importantly, knocked down shots at a high rate.
Ivey is not going to make half of his 3-point shots on the season but if he can get closer to 40 percent, this offense is going to be tough to stop. Ivey still has a long way to go as a lead ballhandler with the second unit, but at the very least that group is going to get out and run and Ivey is going to get to the free-throw line.
I am more confident that an Ivey breakout season is coming, but he still has to show he can do these things consistently while continuing to at least give effort on the defensive end.
#1: Ausar Thompson
This one is a bummer, there is no other way to say it, as you don’t want to talk about what a guy means to a basketball team when he potentially has serious health issues.
We don’t really know the extent of how blood clots are going to affect Thompson or his career, but we do know that he still hasn’t been cleared by the league’s protocol panel and there is no timeline for when that might happen.
First and foremost, we have to hope that he is healthy and won’t face any further complications, as there are more important things than basketball.
Once that hurdle is cleared, getting Thompson back is paramount, as he is the team’s best defender and gives them far more lineup versatility because of his ability to take on any assignment.
This does give Thompson a chance to get a ton of extra work with shooting coach Fred Vinson, which is one positive that comes from him being held out from full-contact action, but right now a big part of the Pistons’ future is on the sidelines and we don’t know how long he’ll be there.
The other storylines are nothing compared to this one, so let’s hope we see Thompson cleared, fully healthy and out there causing chaos soon.