NBA: What’s the potential for the Pistons in 2023-24?

The first preseason game for the Detroit Pistons against the Suns had a little bit of everything. The young Pistons looked brilliant at times, unfocused at others. They rallied from a big deficit to force overtime, but then faltered and lost.

Detroit continues pre-season Thursday night in Montreal against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They open the regular season on Oct. 25 against NBA finalist Miami Heat.

If you believe in the Pistons, now is a great time to take advantage of the odds at Michigan sports betting outlets. DraftKings has the Pistons +20000 to win the NBA Central Division, while BetMGM lists them at +25000. BetMGM does have Detroit as +550 to make the Play-In Tournament. Both sportsbooks have markets on players and team performances throughout the NBA season.

But what are some real expectations for the Pistons this season?

The Pistons youth movement took a detour last season when star guard Cade Cunningham got injured just 12 games into the season. Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, has already shown the ability to play at an All-Star level in the NBA.

Losing Cunningham made it a lost season for the Pistons, who then embraced going young with Jaden Ivey taking over at center. Then they traded for James Wiseman from Golden State. Wiseman was the No. 2 pick in the 2020 Draft, got hurt his second year, and still hasn’t realized his potential.

The Pistons need to decide just how young they want to be this season. Do they roll with Cunningham, Ivey and new draft pick Ausar Thompson, or use veterans Bojan Bogdanovic and Josh Harris? Is Wiseman a player or destined to be an all-time bust?

Short term playing the veterans would work, but long-term playing the young kids is a better option.

The good news for the Pistons is they’ve already made a version of the NBA playoffs, in a way. This season the NBA is debuting an In-Season Tournament with all 30 teams.

Think of it like the U.S. Open Cup in MLS, or one of the many in-season tournaments during soccer season in Europe.

All 30 NBA teams were placed in five six-team groups. The Pistons were put with the Hawks, Cavs, Pacers and Sixers. Tournament games (which also count in the regular season standings) will be Tuesdays and Fridays in November. The winner of each of the six groups plus two wild cards from each conference make the Knockout Round. The semis and finals (Dec. 9) are in Las Vegas. The winner gets the NBA Cup.

This type of format should provide excitement and give the Pistons a chance at taking home a trophy.

There is a lot of talent on the Pistons roster, but this will probably be another season where the Pistons struggle to get over .500.

What fans should hope for is to see just who fits in to the eight-man rotation each night, who plays defense and who can score. Everyone in the NBA is athletic, where the Pistons need to improve is defensively, and staying healthy.

Sportsbooks have the Pistons win total pegged around 27-28 wins. 30 wins might not get you into the Play-In Tournament (for the ninth and tenth seed) but it’s a reasonable goal.

Detroit finishes the season with a brutal nine games out of 11 on the road. Piston fans should hope the team is still in contention for the Play-In Tournament by the time that swing starts. If so, consider the year a success.