Detroit Pistons: 5 takeaways from the 2018-19 NBA season

1. It’s going to take some time

This roster was built and constructed in the image of Stan Van Gundy’s vision. The Pistons were meant to work from the inside out, and that’s just not how things work now. They need more shooters, but they don’t have the open cap space to make that happen. It’s going to take a couple of years for them to get out from under their bad contracts, and Casey’s vision is based more on the modern, outside-shooting model.

This team isn’t going to come back next year as one of the top groups in the Eastern Conference. It’s likely going to take another two years or so before they are competing with the top teams. Detroit’s fans have been patient for a long time, and they’re going to have to be a little more patient. This team showed some flashes of how good it can be, but was just far too inconsistent.

It took Casey three years to turn the Toronto Raptors into a perennial playoff team. The Detroit Pistons are ahead of that schedule, but they aren’t lightyears ahead. They need more shooters and wing players, and they’ll need cap space to make that happen. If they can add a good player this year and next year, a lot of good seasons should start rolling in.