The OKC Thunder have already banked a title and are set up to compete for many more, as they have built their team through the draft and managed to keep roster flexibility with a constant stream of incoming talent.
The Pistons hope to follow that blueprint as far as team building, but the two teams have other similarities, as they are elite defenses who feature a do-it-all guard leading the offense.
Like the Thunder, the Pistons emerged quickly but had to take their lumps in the playoffs before they were ready to truly compete for a title.
After losing in game 7 of the second round, Detroit hopes their time is next, and It's their continuity that may give them an advantage.
The Pistons are a serious contender with room to improve
ESPN recently ranked teams that could be next to win a title, choosing only those who hadn’t won one in the last eight years, when the NBA has had a different champion every season.
The Pistons were alone in the “serious contenders” tier, just below the “championship-ready” tier that featured San Antonio, Philadelphia and Minnesota.
Detroit was ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that beat them in the playoffs last season. But the Cavs had had plenty of roster churn the last two seasons, have lost some of their depth, and It's still not clear their top three guys are a good fit.
Meanwhile, the Pistons will be returning a core (hopefully) of Cunningham, Thompson and Duren that enjoyed a +12.3 net rating in the regular season and even had a positive net rating in the playoffs with Duren playing poorly.
The Pistons have gotten deeper with additional 3-point shooting while maintaining roster and payroll flexibility to make another big move if necessary.
The Cavs are not in that position, especially after extending Mitchell, as they have a top-heavy payroll that has them looking to shed even more depth and salary.
Detroit is hoping they can keep that advantage the way that OKC has, by drafting well, making smart trades and keeping a steady pipeline of role players to complement their stars.
Continuity will matter in an Eastern Conference that will see a lot of top players on different teams, which is why the Pistons are better positioned than some of their peers even after having a relatively quiet offseason.
Have the Pistons done enough?
I don’t know if I’d go as far as saying the Pistons are “serious contenders” at this point, but they are definitely in the conversation.
Will the burst of 3-point shooting be enough to elevate their playoff offense? Can John Collins provide the kind of reliability the Pistons got from Tobias Harris? Will the Pistons have enough shot creation outside of Cade Cunningham?
Until some of these questions are answered, it’s hard to know just how good the Pistons can be, but the good news is they are set up to add another star player and should still get internal improvement, particularly from Ausar Thompson.
They aren’t at OKC’s level yet, but they are following the blueprint and hope to set up the same kind of high-end sustainable success.
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