National Basketball Association

FanSided previews the Detroit Pistons' 2016-17 season

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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FanSided is the most recent outlet to preview the 2016-17 season for the Detroit Pistons. Check out what they had to say about the coming campaign.

Fansided’s NBA division is the most recent outlet to preview the Detroit Pistons for the coming season. Thursday morning FanSided’s Cody Daniel released his preview, and it featured some quotes from yours truly on what success will look like for the Pistons this year.

Daniel breaks down the Pistons’ roster changes, outlines his pick for the Pistons’ most important player, and tells us his choice for the Pistons biggest rivalry in the coming season.

Check it out here.

My own contribution to the post is as follows:

The Detroit Pistons are finally coming out of their long exile from the ranks of competitive Eastern Conference teams. They made it back to the playoffs last season for the first time in seven years, and that raised the bar on their expectations.
For the Pistons, success will take the form of making their way to a top-four seed in the East. It will probably take the Pistons 48 wins to accomplish, which is below the 52 win pace they maintained over the 25 games they played after inserting Tobias Harris into the starting lineup.

With an improved bench, a quickly-developing Stanley Johnson and (HOPEFULLY) better free throw shooting from Andre Drummond, the Pistons should put up the best season since Chauncey Billups’ last full season in Detroit.

While the Pistons have some adversity in the form of Reggie Jackson’s knee tendinitis, they’ll get to demonstrate their improved bench depth at point guard in the form of Ish Smith. If they can withstand the first month of the season until he returns, the four seed should be in reach.

It’s been a long time since expectations have been this high for the Pistons, and odds are that this goal is achievable.

Give the preview a read, and let me know what you think of this particular definition of success for the Pistons this season.