Detroit Pistons: 3 big questions following 2019 NBA All-Star break

3. What is their realistic ceiling?

Some will say that this team can make a run at a championship if it can get things to break the right way. However, the realistic ceiling for Detroit is making the playoffs and being able to upset a team in the first round, with a second round exit likely coming after that. Griffin has played at a borderline top-10 level this season, but the roster around him is just not good enough to push any further than that.

Head coach Dwane Casey has finally gotten the Pistons to start buying in more as of late, which has coincided with their improvement over the last few weeks. His system is proven to work, but he doesn’t have the roster construction to fully implement it. With that in mind, he’s had to alter it, which has been part of the reason they haven’t fully succeeded like some fans were hoping for.

Now that they have not decided to go into full tank mode, they are pushing for the playoffs, and they would be wise to push as hard as possible for the best possible seed. The Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors look like buzzsaws that will mow through whoever they face in the first round. If the Pistons are able to snag a matchup against the Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers, maybe an upset is possible.