After a few dismal seasons, the Detroit Pistons are looking to improve this season and land a spot in the playoffs. In the early 2000’s the Pistons looked like they had a dynasty in the making. Their franchise was centered around players like Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups, and Richard Hamilton. Old age caught up to these players, and the Pistons were left wondering what to do with the roster. A successful offseason for the Pistons has given the city of Detroit some hope for this upcoming season.
The biggest move of the summer for the Pistons was signing free agent Josh Smith. Josh Smith is a power forward and a super athletic defender. He needs to improve his outside shot, but season by season he has been improving. The Atlanta Hawks decided not to sign Smith to a contract extension, so Detroit signed Smith to a long term deal. The Pistons also acquired Brandon Jennings from the Bucks for Brandon Knight and Khris Middleton. Coming out of high school, Jennings was projected to be an NBA superstar. While Jennings is a quality professional, he hasn’t lived up to the hype just yet. Playing for the Pistons will give Jennings a new opportunity to revive his career.
The Pistons have a prime opportunity to land a top 5 playoff spot in the eastern conference this season. Detroit has 2 quality big men in Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe, both of which are very young players. The only potential problem for the Pistons this year would be a lack of veteran leadership, since they are one of the youngest teams in the league. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Detroit Pistons can make the leap to championship contender this season.