Detroit Pistons: 5 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season
By Simon Smith
1. Pistons win 45 games, return to playoff action
You only need to look at the state of the Eastern Conference to understand the climate in which the Pistons find themselves.
Coming off a 37-win season, the Pistons have sat back and witnessed three playoff teams from last season each lose their best player this summer. Paul George was traded away from the Indiana Pacers, as was Jimmy Butler with the Chicago Bulls. Furthermore, Paul Millsap departed the Atlanta Hawks via free agency.
But on top of three All-Stars leaving the conference, several players on the Pistons roster have a real point to prove.
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
Point guard Reggie Jackson is entering the third year of an $80 million deal, and at 27, is seemingly in the prime of his career. Expected to be fully recuperated come training camp from the knee tendinitis that hampered him last season, Jackson will hoping to repeat his career year of 2015-16 in which the Pistons won 44 games.
Another player in line to reach another level in his play os forward Tobias Harris. Although relatively consistent last season in averaging 16.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, Harris came off the bench in 34 of his 82 games. With the Pistons struggling overall, coach Van Gundy looked to utilize Harris’ versatility off the bench in order to spark the second unit.
However, this clearly didn’t pan out as the Pistons missed out on the postseason action. But as Duncan Smith of The Athletic Detroit pointed out in a recent piece:
"“Harris was miscast as both a bench player last season and as a mere supplementary piece. He was under-utilized by Van Gundy, playing four minutes per game fewer as a reserve than as a starter, and on one of the worst offensive teams in the league, a simple fix would have been to give your best scorer more minutes. This season, he’ll surely take on a bigger load offensively as he shines on the defensive end as well.”"
As mentioned earlier, center Andre Drummond looks set to break out. Despite having a down season, Drummond still ranked second in the league in rebounding and was one of only three players in the league to average at least 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
Next: The 50 greatest NBA players of all time (updated, 2016-17)
So when you combine the potential of this trio with the state of the Eastern Conference, a 45-win season and a return to the playoffs is certainly more than achievable for the Pistons this upcoming season.