Detroit Pistons: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason

The Detroit Pistons had an offseason full of change. They have a new head coach to go with a vastly changing roster. 2018-19 is going to be a big year.

The Detroit Pistons have seen a lot of change this offseason. From the front office to the court, it has been a massive turnover in personnel. As the NBA stands right now, the competitive balance does not lie in the Pistons’ favor. Teams such as the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and the fallen Cleveland Cavaliers have paid crazy tax bills to increase their championship opportunities.

The Pistons are avoiding that while biding their time until those teams can’t afford it anymore. Obviously, LeBron James has left the Cavs, which saves them a ton of cash but takes them out of the contender category. The Rockets’ new owner Tilman Fertitta skimped this offseason, which allowed Trevor Ariza to walk. The Warriors held it together for now, but it won’t last forever. The Pistons are building for the future by making their culture changes now.

This offseason has shown the team’s plans for the future. Detroit is trying to build a long, athletic team in the mold of what head coach Dwane Casey built with the Toronto Raptors. Both of the team’s draft picks are defensive-minded players with offensive upside. The Pistons added a 3-and-D wing in Glenn Robinson III in free agency to give the team more shooting.

This offseason wasn’t the end-all, be-all for their rebuild, but it was important in building the strong foundation for it.