The Detroit Pistons Futures Odds (BetDSI Sportsbook)
Detroit Pistons to win the Central Division: +2500
Detroit Pistons to win the Eastern Conference: +6600
Detroit Pistons to win the NBA Championship: +50000
Detroit Pistons Total Win Prediction: Total 39.5 (Over -115, Under -115)
The Detroit Pistons failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2016/17 as they finished in the 10th position in the East, four wins behind the Chicago Bulls who ended in the 8th place. Detroit recorded 37 victories, but the poor form toward the end of the season cost them greatly because they had only three wins in last ten matches.
The three-time NBA champions lost two starters this offseason; Marcus Morris went to the Boston Celtics in return for Avery Bradley, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left for the Los Angeles Lakers, and I am not convinced they have the quality to reach the postseason in 2017/18. Besides Bradley, who had a fantastic year in Boston, the Pistons didn’t bring another high-profile player, and it seems that they are weaker than in 2016/17, while other teams that will battle them for the 8th place in the East are looking stronger.
Read on to find out more about the Detroit Pistons offseason moves and the 2017/2018 futures and props brought to you by BetDSI Sportsbook. Also, don’t forget to visit our Get More Sports website for more NBA teams season previews.
The 2017/2018 Detroit Pistons Roster
Arrivals: Avery Bradley, Langston Galloway, Eric Moreland, Anthony Tolliver, Luke Kennard.
Departures: Aron Baynes, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Gbinije, Marcus Morris, Darrun Hilliard, Beno Udrih.
The Detroit Pistons selected Luke Kennard with the 12th pick overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, and the 21-year-old shooting guard joined after two years with the Duke Blue Devils. In the 2016/17 campaign at Duke, Kennard averaged 19.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 2.5 apg, earning the Consensus second-team All-American, First-team All-ACC, and ACC Tournament MVP honors in the process. With only Avery Bradley ahead of him in the pecking order, Kennard could receive enough playing time to showcase his talents at the SG position.
Eric Moreland didn’t experience the best time during his first stint in the NBA when he played for the Sacramento Kings from 2014 to 2016, and managed to record only 11 appearances and did practically nothing. However, Moreland had an excellent 2016/17 in the D-League while playing for the Canton Charge and earned the All-NBA D-League Third Team, NBA D-League All-Defensive Team, and NBA D-League All-Star honors. These achievements provide him an opportunity to sign another contract with an NBA team, so he became the third option at the center behind Andre Drummond and Boban Marjanovic. Anthony Tolliver returned to the Pistons after spending the 2016/17 with the Sacramento Kings, where he averaged 7.1 ppg and 3.6 rpg in 22.7 mpg (his second highest since the 2009/10 campaign with the Warriors). The 31-year-old power forward is listed as the No. 3 option at the PF position behind Jon Leuer and Henry Ellenson, but this competition is not fierce, and Anthony could easily get 15-20 minutes per contest. He can be a valuable player off the bench and enter in the situations when the Pistons need a three-point shot, for which can be said that is Tolliver’s specialty.
Langston Galloway who played for the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans in 2016/17, came to Detroit to provide competition to Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith at the point guard. Although is listed as the PG, Galloway played most of his three-year career as a shooting guard, and it is not impossible that Van Gundy deploys him at the SG during the upcoming campaign. The 25-year-old averaged 8.6 ppg and 2.2 rpg in 20.4 mpg for the Pelicans last season, and he could turn out to be a solid reinforcement for the Pistons, but I don’t expect great things from the former New York Knick.
Avery Bradley joined Detroit in a trade with the Boston Celtics, while Marcus Morris and Aron Baynes went the other way. The 26-year-old shooting guard had the season of the career in 2016/17, averaging 16.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, and 2.2 apg in 33.4 mpg (all career highs) and the Celtics decision to let offload him is a bit surprising, leaving them with not very good shooting guards on the roster. Avery spent seven years in Boston and will become the leading player in Detroit, so I expect him to lead the team in points in 2017/18. The Pistons were looking for a decent SG following Caldwell-Pope’s departure, and I think they got the suitable man who can become an integral part of this squad.
|
PG |
SG | SF | PF |
C |
| Reggie Jackson | Avery Bradley | Tobias Harris | Jon Leuer | Andre Drummond |
| Ish Smith | Luke Kennard | Stanley Johnson | Henry Ellenson | Boban Marjanovic |
| Langston Galloway | Reggie Bullock | Anthony Tolliver | Eric Moreland | |
Aron Baynes left Detroit after two years and joined the Boston Celtics as a part of Marcus Morris-Avery Bradley trade. The Australian center averaged 4.9 ppg and 4.4 rpg in 15.5 mpg in 2016/17, and his departure means that Boban Marjanovic will have more space and play time to leave the mark in the new campaign. Darrun Hilliard was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for cash considerations, but he was then shipped out to the Los Angeles Clippers this summer. Hilliard left the Motown following his two-year spell with the Pistons, but he never managed to make an impact and appeared in only 77 matches during his stay in Detroit. The 24-year-old shooting guard apparently lacks quality required to play in the NBA, and the Pistons will definitely not miss him. Detroit waived the shooting guard Michael Gbinije after the 25-year-old failed to impress in his rookie season and is currently without a club, and I doubt he will find one in the NBA. Beno Udrih became an unrestricted free agent this offseason after averaging 5.8 ppg and 3.4 apg in 14.4 mpg for the Pistons in 2016/17, and the 35-year-old point guard proved that he still has something to offer, but Detroit decided to move on and focus on the younger players instead.
One of the Pistons’ biggest losses this offseason is certainly Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s departure following his four-year stint with the team. The former No. 8 pick overall left for the Los Angeles Lakers and paved the way for Avery Bradley to join Detroit as the direct replacement at the shooting guard spot. KCP had a solid last year, averaging 13.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, and 1.2 spg in 33.3 mpg, and there is no doubt that the 24-year-old will improve the Lakers squad. However, the player who left and the Pistons didn’t find the proper replacement for is Marcus Morris, who switched Detroit for Boston in a trade mentioned above that included Avery Bradley. Morris was a good servant for the club in the previous two season, while in 2016/17, he averaged 14.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, and 2.0 apg in 32.5 mpg. The power forward is clearly the better player than Jon Leuer, Henry Ellenson, and Anthony Tolliver, who are listed at the PF position on Detroit’s depth chart.
The Pistons re-signed the small forward Reggie Bullock, but he is going to be a third option at the SF position behind Tobias Harris and Stanley Johnson, so I doubt he will get enough playing time to do something relevant.
Although they added Bradley, Detroit’s starting lineup seems a bit weaker than in 2016/17, and despite having decent players such as Jackson, Harris, and Drummond, the bench will be the Pistons biggest problem this time around. I don’t believe they have the second unit players adequate to step in and win the game when the starters aren’t playing well, and with only four or five solid players in the squad, you cannot expect to reach the playoffs.
The Bottom Line and Total Win Prediction
Detroit wasn’t good enough to make it to the playoffs in 2016/17, and I think they are not the serious candidates to do it this time around as well. With both Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks better than them, the Pistons will have a lot of trouble to qualify for the postseason, for what they will probably need around .500 record, as it was the case last year when the Bulls had the same record and made it to the top eight in the East. Although the bookies think Detroit will have more victories this season, and the BetDSI Sportsbook set the number of seasons wins at 39.5, but I don’t share their opinion and I would advise you to try with under on this one.
Season total wins: 39.5 Under (-115)
