Detroit Pistons enjoyed a terrific off-season but will it be enough?

The Detroit Pistons had themselves a fantastic summer but have they upgraded themselves enough to crack the top half of the Eastern Conference?

It’s been a wild summer in the NBA, not just the Detroit Pistons. Arguably the leagues’ top player Kevin Durant decided to leave the dynasty in Golden State to join forces with his good friend Kyrie Irving with the Nets. The Pelicans moved Anthony Davis to the Lakers for just about everyone on their roster not named LeBron James.

It was a free agent market that became the richest to date in NBA history. Players like former Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris cashed in. He signed a max deal to stay in Philly, a five-year agreement worth $180-million. Khris Middleton did the same to stay in Milwaukee. Kristaps Porzingis signed a five-year extension with the Mavs worth $158 million.

Additional players such as Al Horford, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, D’Angelo Russell, Kemba Walker, Terry Rozier, Ricky Rubio, and the list goes on, were all browsing the real estate market in a new city this summer.

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The downside of this list is that the Detroit Pistons were unable to land any of the top named players. The team is hindered by the salary cap, but owner Tom Gores publically mentioned he’d have no issue going into the luxury tax. He actually said he hoped the franchise had an opportunity to enter the luxury tax, meaning he hoped a star player decided to pick Detroit.

It didn’t happen. Ed Stefanski did a fantastic job recreating the Pistons depth chart with the limited resources he had at his disposal but will it be enough? Stefanski added veteran guard Derrick Rose who is an upgrade to Ish Smith. Rose who averaged 18 PPG in 51 contests last year may oust Reggie Jackson to become the teams starting point guard.

The Pistons added Tony Snell as they relieved themselves of Jon Leuer‘s contract while adding an additional draft pick in the agreement. They signed veteran forward Markieff Morris, the twin brother of former Pistons Marcus. The Pistons also drafted a promising, energetic forward in Sekou Doumbouya.

He will remain a project throughout his rookie year but has the potential to replace Blake Griffin in a couple of years when his contract expires. The team added guard Tim Frazier who is an insurance policy to both Rose and Jackson–they both have had plenty of injuries throughout their career.

The team also holds a couple of depth big men in Thon Maker and recently claimed Christian Wood. Bruce Brown and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk both looked terrific during the Detroit Pistons Summer League contests. Don’t forget about Langston Galloway, maybe with some effective clutch shooting off the bench; he will work his way into the regular rotation.

Luke Kennard may end up providing the fuel for the car for the Detroit Pistons. Yes, Blake Griffin is the star, Andre Drummond is his wingman while Reggie Jackson tries his best. Ok, no more shade towards Jackson I just think Rose could gel much better with the first-team offense.

Kennard is a player that has the potential to score from a distance–something the Pistons desperately need. If Kennard shoots 40% or better from three, he will indeed be the teams’ most valuable player not named Griffin. Blake is coming off of a career year but he’ll be hard-pressed to emulate those same numbers again, he needs consistent help.

With Kevin Durant out for the entire year and Leonard heading West, the Eastern Conference is wide open. It will still be considered a bit top-heavy with Boston, Philadelphia, Milwaukee all jostling for the top three spots. The Pistons will find themselves in the next group amongst Miami, New Jersey, Orlando, Toronto, and Indiana filling out the bottom half of the Conference.

The Russell Westbrook trade rumors woke up a lot of folks around Detroit. With the package the Detroit Pistons would have needed to give up they likely wouldn’t have been able to compete for an NBA title, but they may have been able to win a playoff series. If things went well potentially even a couple of series wins. At least Westbrook would have created an exciting buzz throughout the city.

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It feels like it’s a one-year opportunity to do damage while Durant is out, so I don’t blame the Pistons for exploring their options. The Pistons are destined to be another .500 club (again) this season clawing to get into the playoffs matching up with likely a top-three seed–yikes. The Pistons may become sellers at the deadline this year as they transition into a rebuild unless they decide to go all-in on a player like Bradley Beal. Even with the fantastic off-season I just feel the current team without any additions won’t provide enough skill to threaten an Eastern Conference title appearance.

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