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Detroit Pistons: 2018-19 NBA season preview

By Gage Bridgford

Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images /
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Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images /

2018-19 Roster

Key Additions: Bruce Brown Jr. (draft), Khyri Thomas (draft), Zaza Pachulia (free agency), Jose Calderon (free agency), Glenn Robinson III (free agency)

Key Subtractions: Anthony Tolliver (free agency), Eric Moreland (waived), James Ennis III (free agency), Jameer Nelson (free agency)

Of the major subtractions the Pistons made this offseason, the two biggest subtractions were Stan Van Gundy and Anthony Tolliver. Tolliver was one of the team’s top two 3-point shooters last season. He was also the main threat to stretch the floor in the frontcourt. Van Gundy ran his course in Detroit, and it was time for he and the team to part ways. If Andre Drummond‘s offseason 3-point shooting doesn’t translate to the regular season, their spacing could suffer drastically without Tolliver.

Another piece that is now gone but was semi-replaced is Ennis. He gave the team a decent 3-and-D wing that would be good in Casey’s system that thrives with a gluttony of wings. They replaced him with Robinson, who should be considered an upgrade on offense, while he might be a slight downgrade on defense. Moreland was a piece that played well in sparse minutes. Pachulia is another veteran presence, but Moreland was a decent young piece.

Unlike other teams this offseason, the Pistons main splash addition was their new head coach. Pachulia and Robinson give the team bodies to soak up minutes, while Calderon is likely only a depth piece at the already deep point guard position. Robinson should play the most of their offseason additions due to what he adds to this team. He gives them more shooting and slashing, while he can still defend multiple positions.

Thomas and Brown will likely spend a lot of time in the G League this season, but it only takes one injury for them to get called up. Both of them have great athleticism while bringing youth to the team. Thomas is a sweet-shooting guard that is a great defensive weapon. Brown isn’t an amazing shooter, but he does have the ability to collapse defenses and feed shooters. Casey is one of the best coaches in the NBA, so it will be interesting to see how he uses all these new pieces.

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