Last season: 23-59; 28th in attack, 24th in defenseKey adds: PF Bojan Bogdanović, SG Alec Burks, C Nerlens Noel, SF Kevin KnoxKey subtractions: C Kelly Olynyk, SG Frank Jackson, SG Saben LeeDraft picks: PG Jaden Ivey (fifth), C Jalen Duren ( 13th), SG Gabriele Procida (36th)
Were the Detroit Pistons bad last season? Yes, most definitely.
Will they be bad this season? Yes probably.
Can they be very good in a short time after that? Yes, maybe… and that brings us to the interesting part.
If the Pistons become an elite team mid-decade, you could call 2022-23 the season before the season. Detroit isn’t quite ready to move up the ranks of the Eastern Conference hierarchy…yet. But Detroit isn’t that far either. Even though they’ve stepped on various rakes along the way, the Pistons have hit enough set moves that they only need one or two more to unwind before they abruptly turn the corner.