Even though the Detroit Pistons were on track to earn a five or six-seed and potentially cause a first-round upset last season, they stumbled into the playoffs, barely got the eight-seed and proceeded to get swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in rather ugly fashion.
Just as the case with any Detroit sports team, the fans are optimistic heading into the season that Detroit can be more than a squad that barely makes the playoffs. They want to see the team win games in the playoffs and make it out of the first round.
With those goals in mind, here are three of the big storylines for the team heading into the 2019-20 NBA season.
3. Can the veterans off the bench rekindle a spark from the good ole' days?
The Pistons made an effort this offseason to simultaneously add veteran leadership while improving their fairly average second unit. They made a multitude of moves to boost that effort, adding Markieff Morris to provide front-court depth and Derrick Rose to be a scoring backup point guard.
In addition to adding these veterans, the Pistons most recently added seven-time all-star Joe Johnson, adding another scorer who in his prime was one of the most underrated stars in the league this century. While Johnson is on the wrong side of 35, he proved that he's still got it in the BIG3 this summer, earning MVP and leading the Triplets to a championship.
All three of these players, specifically Rose and Johnson, should be able to provide the young players in the locker room with savvy mentors, while also being able to go off every once in a while. With the age and injury history of both players, those contributions are huge what-ifs. If these guys can manage to find the fountain of youth, the Pistons may have a formidable second unit for the first time in years.
2. Is this the year Luke Kennard finally breaks out?
The Pistons have earned a lot of flack for retroactively messing up the 2017 draft, as they drafted Duke guard Luke Kennard one pick before future All-Star Donovan Mitchell was scooped up by the Utah Jazz.
While Kennard may never be an All-Star, this could be the season that Kennard can silence all the doubters, as he has had two seasons to settle into the NBA and has spent a lot of time this offseason working out and dissecting his game on film to truly see how he can improve as a player.
The Pistons don't need Kennard to be a star, as they have their two potential All-Star big men in Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. It would indeed help Detroit if Kennard can emerge as the third option on offense.
If Kennard can put what he learned this off-season to heart and earn double-digits points while boosting his shooting average by a few percentage points, he can not only elevate his own game, but provide more space for the other talented scorers on the roster.
1. Blake Griffin's return as an All-Star to keep the Pistons in playoff contention
It's no secret that in the NBA these days, a team needs to have a go-to guy who can provide a team with not only a buttload of points and rebounds, but also can be a leader and not be afraid to take big shots.
Blake Griffin is that guy in Detroit. Griffin quite possibly had the best season of his career last season, posting 24.5 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game while also posting his best three-point percentage in five years.
In order for the Pistons to be more than an eight-seed in the playoffs this season, Griffin needs to stay healthy, post those elite numbers again, and return as an All-Star. If he is able to elevate his game, the Pistons could be a force to be reckon with in the East.
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