The Detroit Pistons are coming off of what has become a typical NBA season for them, as they won 41 games and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Now, the Pistons are heading into the 2019-20 campaign with a very similar roster and with very similar expectations.
This team just isn't very good, and while they may be good enough to make the postseason in the weak Eastern Conference, that doesn't mean all that much.
Really, Detroit is a classic treadmill team: okay enough to qualify for the playoffs, but not good enough to actually make any noise in said playoffs, and, in turn, it loses out on lottery picks.
Basically, the Pistons are kind of in a bad spot right now.
So, here are four burning questions for Detroit ahead of training camp:
4. Do the Pistons have any Elite Young Talent?
The Pistons have a few young players on their team, but whether or not those guys are anything more than ordinary is up for debate.
There is wing Luke Kennard, guard Bruce Brown and rookie forward Sekou Doumbouya.
Kennard projects to be a Kyle Korver type and will probably develop into a solid rotation player, which is fine. Brown had a terrific Summer League, but he was awful during his rookie year last season. Doumbouya? People love his potential, but the kid hasn't seen a second of NBA action yet.
Realistically, neither Kennard nor Brown seems all that likely to turn into an All-Star caliber player. Doumbouya is probably the most interesting prospect of the bunch, but he is also one of the most mysterious players from this year's draft class.
We'll probably get a better idea this year of just how good Kennard and Brown can become, and if Doumbouya gets consistent minutes, he might show us something.
But other than that, the Pistons are very low on young talent, which is not exactly encouraging for a team that may soon be officially entering rebuilding mode.
3. Will Reggie Jackson Make it Through the Season?
Reggie Jackson is entering the final year of his contract, and chances are, Detroit won't be re-signing him next summer.
Jackson isn't a bad player, but he is a volume scorer and doesn't provide much in the way of defense, so he probably isn't a starting point guard on a contending team.
Will he even make it through the 2019-20 season with the Pistons?
It seems likely that Detroit will explore trading him at some point, especially if the Pistons appear to be going nowhere by the time the February trade deadline rolls around.
He will surely have some suitors, as he is certainly a capable supplementary piece who can provide a spark off the bench for someone.
Given that the Pistons almost surely won't be retaining him next offseason, it would make sense for them to try moving him sometime this year, so keep an eye on Jackson over the next several months.
2. Will the Pistons Commit to Andre Drummond Long Term?
Andre Drummond has a $28.8 million player option for the 2020-21 campaign, an option that he most likely won't be exercising. So, Drummond will probably be a free agent next summer.
That begs the question: will Detroit commit to Drummond long term?
The Pistons already extended him once after his rookie deal, and the returns have not been great. Yes, he has put up big counting numbers in terms of points and rebounds, but he has shown little to no improvement defensively, and there isn't much evidence that he actually makes Detroit that much better when he is on the floor.
For that reason, there is a chance that the Pistons consider moving him by the deadline.
There would definitely be some interested parties, and while Detroit might not be able to get the haul that it would hope for, it could at least recoup some assets in return before potentially losing him for nothing over the summer.
Honestly, the Pistons would be better off going forward without him, as paying him max dollars (which is what he will likely demand) isn't a very prudent way of building your team.
It hasn't worked thus far, so I don't see any reason why it would work in the future.
1. How is Blake Griffin's Knee?
Blake Griffin played in 75 games this past season, marking the first time he has played at least 70 games since the 2013-14 campaign.
However, at the end of the 2018-19 campaign, Griffin suffered a knee injury that kept him out of the first two games of the Pistons' first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
It was a very unfortunate ending to what was actually a spectacular (and largely overlooked) season for Griffin, who posted a career-high 24.5 points per game while also making 36.2 percent of his three-pointers on very high volume.
But is Griffin healthy?
The big man is now 30 years old and has a ton of mileage on those knees. His knees have been an issue ever since he entered the NBA out of Oklahoma, and they have never ceased being a problem.
If Griffin isn't right, the Pistons have no chance of even contending for a playoff spot this coming season, so making sure his knees are good to go will obviously be crucial.
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