Twenty-nine different opposing NBA teams will walk through the doors of Target Center to play the Wolves this season, and we want you to know as much as you can about all of them. We’re going worst to first in order of last year’s standings and telling you everything you need to know. Next, a Pistons team hoping to get back to the playoffs with Blake Griffin leading the way.
Notable Players Acquired: G Khyri Thomas (draft), G Bruce Brown (draft)
Notable Players Lost: F Anthony Tolliver (free agency), F James Ennis (free agency)
Recapping 2017-18:
The season was headlined by the Pistons trading Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, a 2018 first-round pick and a 2019 second-round pick to the Clippers for one Blake Griffin, to go with Brice Johnson and Willie Reed.
That move didn’t work out quite as well as Detroit wanted it to.
After making the trade, the Pistons were 17-17, which perfectly sums up the Stan Van Gundy era in Detroit. Just not enough to get over the hump.
Van Gundy and the Pistons cut ties this offseason and Detroit will get a fresh start with Dwane Casey, the 2017-18 Coach of the Year, fresh off of his Coach of the Year campaign with Toronto.
The NBA is a tough world, man.
Much of Detroit’s success moving forward is on the back of Griffin.
He’s an extremely unique player but has missed at least 15 games every season since 2013-14.
In 25 games with the Pistons, Griffin averaged 19.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. Good, not great numbers.
The Pistons added two solid draft picks in Thomas and Brown, both great picks for where they were taken in the draft, but neither player is projected to be a franchise-changing talent.
The Big Question
Even if Griffin can play 80 games and get back to his star status, what’s the ceiling for Detroit?
I think Andre Drummond is really good, but how does he fit in today’s NBA?
I guess I have more than just one question for this team moving forward. With the Griffin trade, Detroit really depleted its team. Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris are two very solid players who provided Detroit depth.
The good news is that there should be a few spots in the East up for grabs as far as playoffs go. The Pistons will need Griffin to stay healthy if they want to compete for one of those spots.
Ratke’s Prediction:
Too many things need to go right for this team to make the playoffs, in my opinion. And it’s really no fault to anyone on the team or on the coaching staff.
Unless Detroit gets a huge bump from Luke Kennard or Stanley Johnson, I think this team is back in the lottery in 2019.
Describe This Team In 15 Words Or Less
Detroit needs a young player like Brown, Thomas, Kennard or Johnson to become a star.
So When Can I See Them?
The Wolves host the Pistons on Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. They’ll travel to Detroit on Wednesday, March 6 at 6 p.m.