Detroit Pistons have all pieces in place to emerge as surprise team in East

The Detroit Pistons are hoping to put last season's performance in the rearview as the team is headed in a new direction under new leadership.

Once a very proud franchise who were well known for their intensity, hustle, and long playoff runs, the Detroit Pistons have been struggling to get back among the elite teams in the NBA. This Pistons team has a lot of young talent, but the organization has had problems building the necessary continuity due to the constant revolving door at the head coach.

Monty Williams was relieved of his duties after just one season with the team. The Pistons ended up with a league-worst 14-68 record as they also set an NBA record 28-game losing streak. From this point forward, the Pistons have nowhere to go but up, and can only improve. The player who will be leading the charge and moving the team in a new direction is Cade Cunningham who recently signed a five-year, $224 million max rookie contract extension.

It's also a mystery how newly hired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is going to utilize his star point guard. He will also have to figure out how he will distribute the minutes with so many young players in the mix who need to develop and see the floor. Newly hired president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon has done an excellent job up to this point, but can he continue to work his magic and proudly restore a team that the Motor City was once proud of?

What has to change for the Detroit Pistons?

One of the very first things Bickerstaff needs to establish with the Pistons is their willingness to work together as a cohesive unit and build chemistry. This team has too much talent to be losing at a historic pace, and Bickerstaff will be tasked with trying to figure out how to implement the pieces at their disposal.

Bickerstaff joins the Pistons after consecutive trips to the postseason with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who parted ways with him after the season concluded. He should turn out to prove to be a fantastic hire for the Pistons as he excels at developing young talent, creating consistency, and building up a foundation for the organization. Bickerstaff is good with discipline and righting the ship if things ever get hectic as it can often get with younger players, and it's a strong possibility that he can get the Pistons back in playoff contention within a matter of a few years, if not sooner.

The defense has to get better, the team has to show more effort, and also get the players to avoid mistakes that plagued them last season. Bickerstaff should help establish a culture in Detroit and pull them out of basketball mediocrity. A lot has been said about how Bickerstaff mismanaged his rotations while coaching the Cavs, but what he did in Cleveland was pull a rebuilding team up from a low place, and elevated them to a playoff-caliber team.

He was able to build a culture and got everyone to buy in which is very important whenever a rebuild is in progress. The expectations shouldn't be too high for this upcoming season considering this will be Bickerstaff's first year, and the players will need time to get acclimated to his system.

The Pistons have nine players under the age of 23 who could all become major contributors in due time. Cade Cunningham is the most important piece to the Pistons' young core, as they have heavily invested in him by designating him the face of the franchise. Bickerstaff has a nice mix of players who are all on the same timeline, and even though next season will be considered as another rebuilding year, the Pistons could very well exceed expectations.

The talent on their roster is evident, and Bickerstaff just has to put together the pieces of the puzzle. Jalen Duren has the potential to become one of the best big men in the NBA. He is the player who can do the dirty work inside the paint and sets the tone physically. Duren is only 20, and right now he's a walking double-double, but he has to improve his defensive instincts.

Last year's lottery selection Ausar Thompson was a menace on the defensive end but left something to be desired on offense. The good thing about Thompson is that he can improve his shot and handles, but being defensively sound at such a young age is priceless. After playing together for 2 seasons, Jaden Ivey and Cunningham didn't appear to be a good fit in the Pistons backcourt. Both guards are ball-dominant and thrive when the offense runs through them, but they have failed to mesh and show that they can become the dominant duo the organization envisioned they could become.

Ivey plays better when he is controlling the ball and running the offense, and it's a possibility that he could come off the bench as the Pistons 6th man. That way, Ivey could be in charge of running the 2nd unit and should be able to control the game when he comes in for Cunningham. Ivey will be able to continue his development as he should still play starter minutes, just in a different role. Cunningham has been a solid player so far in his career, and at some point could become a perennial all-star.

He hasn't been nearly as good as he was expected to become, but he is only 22 and the organization still has a chance to make something special happen with this group of players. Cunningham's shooting numbers haven't been impressive, but that was mainly due to him being the only player who opposing defenses had to worry about.

As a result, Cunningham consistently dealt with having to get past the best defensive player every game without having space to operate. When teams pack the paint and crowd-driving lanes, it's difficult for any player to get to the rim, and it's even worse if that player isn't equipped with adequate shooters to kick the ball out to. Now that the Pistons have signed Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Malik Beasley, it gives the team an opportunity for better spacing and more chances to score points.

Cunningham was forced to shoulder a massive load on an underachieving team. His best attribute is shot creation, and it was difficult for him to create. Now that Langdon has brought in some reinforcements, can we expect to see this franchise get back in contention?