Detroit Pistons: 5 takeaways from 2018 NBA Summer League

4. The defense will be better

Bruce Brown Jr. and Khyri Thomas are long and instant defensive upgrades over the current guard rotation. Langston Galloway, Reggie Jackson, Ish Smith, Luke Kennard and Reggie Bullock are all net negatives on the defensive end of the floor. The Pistons know their offense won’t be there every single night. However, they can rest easy knowing that their defense will be there on the nights they aren’t hitting shots.

Casey’s defensive schemes led the Raptors to consistently being an above-average defense. They gradually improved every season before peaking at fifth last season in defensive rating. Although over a decade removed from their 2003-04 championship, the pieces are there to push the Pistons up the defensive ranks. With Casey pulling the strings, he should be able to push them up from their 11th overall finish last season.

Brown and Thomas, assuming no one else from Summer League makes the roster, give the team great defensive lineups. A lineup of Brown, Thomas, Stanley Johnson, Glenn Robinson III and Andre Drummond is limited on offense but scary on defense. The Pistons’ offense should be better than their 19th overall rating last season, but their defense will be in case it isn’t.