The Detroit Pistons made great strides in 2015-16, winning 44 games — a 12-game leap from their win total in 2014-15. They will look to build on that success in 2016-17. The Pistons, who added Tobias Harris via trade midway through last season, didn’t make any major changes to their core this offseason. However, they did bolster their bench with the signings of Ish Smith, Jon Leuer, Boban Marjanovic, and Ray McCallum, as well as the drafting of Marquette star Henry Ellenson. They also locked up franchise center Andre Drummond on a five-year max deal.
I’d look for the Pistons to win a few more games than last season (maybe around 48?), and hopefully do more than just get swept in the first round of the playoffs this time around.
The Pistons open play in Toronto on October 26. Their first matchup against the defending champion (and first round opponent) Cavs will be on November 18. They play at Atlanta and at Miami on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, respectively. Finally, Detroit will finish the regular season on the 12th of April in Orlando.
The full Pistons’ schedule can be found here.
