Ranking NBA teams by tiers for the 2017-18 season

The Hot Messes: Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies

These are the teams likely to be trapped in the middle of the draft lottery unless they have some surprises up their sleeves.

The Detroit Pistons are coming off an underwhelming season where not one, but two of their supposed franchise pillars were involved in trade rumors (Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond). Upgrading from KCP to Avery Bradley is huge, but after watching Jackson and Drummond stall out last year, “prove it” seems to be the most apt description for this team’s 2017-18 aspirations.

Following the Paul George trade, it’s abundantly clear the Indiana Pacers did not get enough for their superstar, even with their backs against the wall. Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis aren’t bad players, but they leave Myles Turner and company in a tricky spot between tanking and trying to build around good but not great talent. Blowing it up seems like the way to go here, but it doesn’t look like it’s happening, especially without getting a first-rounder for PG-13.

Finally, the Memphis Grizzlies still have a solid foundation with Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, but Big Spain is 32, Conley can never stay 100 percent healthy, Z-Bo, Vinsanity and probably Tony Allen are gone and it feels like Grit-N-Grind is dead. Unless Chandler Parsons finally stays on the court, newcomers Tyreke Evans and Ben McLemore don’t move the needle much.