NBA: Re-seeding the Eastern Conference after blockbuster Lillard trade

14. Detroit Pistons

Full disclosure, I had the Detroit Pistons higher on this list a couple of months ago. However, after further evaluation, I believe there are more unpredictabilities with this team than originally thought. Cade Cunningham is coming off an injury that kept him out all of last season and even though there’s a belief he’s going to have a great season, there is no guarantee of that. Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren are still incredibly young players and who knows what to expect from Ausar Thompson during his rookie season.

The ceiling for the Pistons heading into the start of the season is a spot in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. But because of how much they’re going to rely on their young players, the team’s floor is low. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. This is likely the case for many other young teams in the league.

In the end, I got to a place where I’d rather rank the Pistons lower than most compared to putting some unrealistic expectations on the shoulders of the team.