Detroit Pistons 2015 NBA Season Preview
5th place. ”Central. Detroit Pistons. 5th. player. 64. <ul> <li>32-50 record</li> <li>Missed playoffs</li> <li>Won 8<sup>th</sup> Pick in NBA Draft Lottery</li> </ul>
Even in an Eastern Conference that was incredibly week at the bottom, the Detroit Pistons failed to make the postseason last year. They finished the year with a meager 32-50 record, leaving president of basketball operations and head coach Stan Van Gundy going back to the drawing board to try and bring the Pistons back to at least some sort of relevance.
Van Gundy certainly had some big ideas about how to do so as the Pistons were one of the most active teams this offseason in both free agency and on the trade market. Losing only Caron Butler, Shawne Williams, Quincy Miller, and a future draft pick, Van Gundy was able to bring in Steve Blake, Marcus Morris, Danny Granger, Reggie Bullock, and a fantastic fit in veteran power forward Ersan Ilyasova. That’s not a bad run on the trade market.
In free agency, Detroit made two big splashes. First was re-signing point guard Reggie Jackson to a massive five-year deal in hopes that he can be the floor general of the future for this team as he continues to develop. Secondly, the Pistons parted ways with power forward Greg Monroe after their negotiations saga from the summer of 2014. While Monroe is a productive NBA player, it was a move that was smart for both parties involved in terms of fit and financial situations. Detroit also added former San Antonio Spurs center Aron Baynes on a three-year, $19.5 millions contract in free agency.
I’d be remiss to not jump on the hype train and mention that the Pistons also added small forward Stanley Johnson with the eighth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Scouts all around the league were high on his ability and upside coming into the draft, but his fit with the Pistons seemed absolutely perfect from day one. Johnson’s performance in the preseason (which I realize is only preseason) has only further confirmed that.
This is certainly a new look for this team under Stan Van Gundy and one that has the personnel to fit the systems that have brought him success at other head coaching stops. SVG is going to rely heavily on Andre Drummond taking a big step forward and you can almost certainly expect this Pistons team to be taking a ton of threes this season as they spread the floor around Drummond on the interior.
They may not get the buzz that other up-and-coming teams around the league will, but things are shaping up seemingly quite well heading into the 2015-16 season. Here’s what you need to know and what I think the Detroit Pistons will accomplish this year.
Next: Best and Worst Offseason Moves