Detroit Pistons: 2018-19 NBA season preview

Storyline 1: Who are long-term pieces?

The Pistons have a very expensive roster, but they don’t have a championship-caliber group. When looking at their salary cap situation, they have three players that rank within the top 15 at their position. This includes Blake Griffin as the No. 1 power forward in salary, and Drummond is tied for fourth overall among centers. When looking at their top five players in salary cap hit, Drummond and Langston Galloway are the only two under the age of 28.

In addition to Griffin, Jon Leuer and Reggie Jackson‘s age, they all have dealt with a multitude of injuries in their career. This season will be all about determining their future with the team, in addition to winning games this year. The team tied itself to Griffin when it traded for him last season. The Pistons traded a lot of younger pieces, in addition to a first round pick that became Miles Bridges, who has been lighting things up in the preseason.

Griffin has four years left on his contract, so he will likely be with the team for the remainder of this deal. After Griffin comes Drummond, who has three years remaining on his deal and is still on the young side. The main two to watch for are Leuer and Jackson. Jackson has been a rumored trade piece this offseason and if he plays well early on, the team could attempt to sell high in an effort to get some future pieces to make their rebuild easier.

Casey has been talking to players all summer to figure out where they stand, and the things that they can expect to see when everything kicks off. Casey has been a winner in recent years, so he likely won’t want to rebuild. However, he could experiment with younger players to see who is going to be the future of the team, and the veterans could grow unhappy if losses pile up and they aren’t getting the playing time that they want.