Despite winning just 80 games over the past four seasons, including only 17 last season, there is a bit to like about the Pistons roster. Headed by the returning Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey in his second season in the backcourt and with the addition of number five draft pick Ausar Thompson, they also have a swathe of big men set to be competing for spots.

Plenty would argue that they have too many, and there's good reason for that. There are many front court combinations that Monty Williams could potentially put together, but with limited stretch ability among Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, Marvin Bagley and James Wiseman, plenty of those combinations might not be ideal.

Which means there is going to be plenty of competition for spots, and likely at least one player who will get a lot less minutes than he would like. Jalen Duren, at just 20 years of age, is going to be the starting center if Williams is to be believed – and since he's the coach, he probably should be. Isaiah Stewart, too, should be pretty safe in terms of getting decent court time, particularly given he's the only one of the quartet who has shown any ability to stretch the floor, even if that's only with a shooting percentage from long range in the low 30%s.

It may very well be that Bagley and Wiseman are in direct competition for what could be the final available Pistons rotation spot up front, meaning each of them will be eager to have a big preseason. But for the purpose of this piece, we'll focus on the one who has had less time to prove himself on an NBA floor, and probably has both a higher ceiling, and a lower floor.

James Wiseman

James Wiseman, Detroit Pistons

James Wiseman, of course, was the number two selection in the 2020 NBA draft, with the Warriors picking the agile big man behind Anthony Edwards. But while Edwards has developed into a star of the league and looks set to continue on his merry way, the transition to the big league hasn't been quite so straightforward for Wiseman.

After a 39-game rookie season in which he averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds, but he missed the latter stages of the season and then didn't play a game in the next courtesy of a combination of injury, and just generally being out of favor with the Warriors. Half a season later he was traded to the Pistons, and here we are.

He played 24 games for Detroit after being traded and had his moments, playing 25.2 minutes per game for 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds – all career highs. But while he showed some solid signs, he certainly didn't do enough to absolutely assure himself of a spot coming into the upcoming season, particularly with the amount of opposition he has for a place in the Pistons rotation.

Given he's just three years out of a season in which he was viewed as the second best draft prospect in the world, Wiseman certainly still has time to prove he can be a valuable player on an NBA team. This season, however, will be a significant one for him. He's going to start a little way down the pecking order in the Pistons front court behind a couple of other big, recent high draft picks, and will be likely wrestling with Bagley for minutes. Each of them has reason to believe they deserve NBA minutes, and a big preseason for either of them could help to manifest that belief.