Detroit Pistons: Best-case, worst-case scenarios for every player

Trying to make it back to the playoffs with new leadership and a new-look lineup, the Detroit Pistons have an unpredictable season ahead.

Few teams in the NBA have as much boom-or-bust potential as the Detroit Pistons.

Going into the 2018-19 season, everyone knows the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors are going to be good. Everyone knows the Atlanta Hawks, the worst team in the Eastern Conference last season, are not going to be good.

It’s also safe to assume that middle-of-the-pack squads like the Los Angeles Clippers and Charlotte Hornets are going to float somewhere between slightly above-average and slightly below-average.

The Pistons are another story — a team that isn’t so easy to categorize.

This past offseason saw big changes in Detroit’s leadership structure, most notably the hiring of Ed Stefanski as a front-office adviser and Dwane Casey as the head coach.

Recent additions to the roster — including Blake Griffin‘s arrival via trade midway through last season — significantly impact the Pistons’ outlook for 2018-19, along with the reality that this team relies heavily on two players who have an alarming history of injuries.

Detroit could be one of the top four playoff seeds in the East, or they could finish near the bottom of the conference. The Pistons were 39-43 last season, coming up four games short of the final playoff seed.

This season, it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see a spike on either side of the win-loss column.

How things shake out will rest on the shoulders of some Pistons players who are just as likely to have a great year as they are to have a miserable one. Here are the best-case and worst-case scenarios for each player projected to make Detroit’s opening night roster.