5 NBA Teams That Will Struggle If They Start Slowly in 2024-25 | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats & Rumors

The Pistons haven’t officially given up on the tank race, but they did add some legitimate, established NBA talent this summer. Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. aren’t Big Three, to be sure, but that’s a healthy dose of scoring power and cap space for a young team that desperately needs both.

Detroit hasn’t managed to achieve a winning percentage of even .310 over the past five seasons, so it would probably welcome some success in the standings. It’s possible that proper spacing (or at least improved spacing) could accelerate the development of this young core, and if so, it’s not as if the play-in picture in the Eastern Conference is impenetrable.

A Cade Cunningham leap year could do wonders for the franchise. If it’s coupled with big steps forward from players like Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, plus a quick transition from Ron Holland, the team’s final No. 5 pick, the Pistons should be semi-competitive.

But how much does that actually accomplish? It would be nice to ride through the Motor City without the stench of defeat, but if the faithful can hold their noses for an 82-game marathon one more time, the reward could be one of the potentially fortune-changing prospects at the top of next summer’s draft.

Granted, the Pistons know better than anyone that losing a ton of money doesn’t guarantee anything in the draft lottery. But they also have to recognize that Cunningham is their only prospect currently paving a path to stardom. Even if he’s ready to elevate this team, he doesn’t have the high-end help needed to make that happen. Pairing him with a blue-chip prospect could change that, and the opportunity is too tempting to pass up, especially when it’s clear early on that this club isn’t going to compete at a high level during the 2024-25 campaign.