What direction should the team take next year?

[bstein14]

Curious what your thoughts are on how the team should approach next season. Does what pick we land in the draft affect your opinion on how we should start the season. Obviously we can try to make the playoffs and then once we get to the half way point if that seems out of reach we can shift gears, but I'm just curious with what mindset do you go in. Do we still need to add more top tier talent to have a real chance at competing or can/should we compete right away if we land a top 4 pick?

[Pharaoh]

Personally I can't see us competing for the playoffs unless the kids take a big leap.

Roster is pretty set too:

Plumlee, Stewart (Okafor)
Grant, Sekou
Bey, Jackson
Diallo, Frank, Sirv
Hayes, Lee

Plus our Lotto pick & 2 2nds = 15 dudes and if memory serves only Diallo, Frank & Lee are RFA.

That roster is young af!

Think it's too soon to move on from Amy of the guys this FO brought in, roster turnover won't help us build anything of note anyway so...

I think we'll be "competing" with Cleveland & Orlando for the bottom of the East, although the Magic will get Isaac & Fultz back from injury.

IF we're not at as bad as I expect that means some of the kids took a big step forward, which isn't a bad thing.

Sent from my SM-G781B using RealGM mobile app

[buzzkilloton]

For sure another tank year. Draft looks good. We only are going to be at the bottom so long got to milk it by loading up on as many stars in the draft as possible.

[FloridaMan78]

I say we play it out. If we are near 18-22 at the half way point why not keep fighting for the playoffs.

We haven’t even seen this team play together since Killian’s been playing better. I’d like to see what Killian, Bey, Grant, Stewart, and a decent shooting guard can do.

I really think if we make the playoffs next year we’ll be able to attract some good free agents the following year.

[Manocad]

So there's nothing in between tank, i.e. try to lose, and try to make the playoffs? And what is the definition of "tanking" anyway if the Pistons happen to get Cade and he immediately becomes an impact player? Play him, Grant, Bey and Stewart 12 minutes a game the whole year?

My vote is for "continue to develop all the young players and let whatever happens happen."

[Snakebites]

Try to compete, then tank if it's clear that's not happening.

And that's regardless of what pick we get next year. In any case- continue playing the young guys a lot.

At some point you gotta start building a team. The full tank from the outset is a bad idea for any team that doesn't have a bare cupboard, IMO. Gotta give the guys a shot. If we have a great young core and end up with a mid-lotto pick next year so be it, as long as the young guys show growth.

If we come out looking like we did at the start of this year, the choice will be made for us. Tank.

[ElectricMayhem]

It takes time for youth to grow so we probably won't be great next year. I also don't think we'll be at the bottom, and it's not just that we have solid vets in Grant and Plumlee. Both Stewart and Bey have shown that when we're on the court, we're better. If tanking means not developing our youth, then we're not tanking. I'm hopeful Hayes is turning a corner and becoming a net neutral player as well. Grant didn't sign here to sit 4 out of every 5 games down the stretch. The Pistons are going to try to play meaningful basketball next year, and they should. If they end up getting their beloved 9th seed end of the lottery Detroit special, so what? Unlike past years, we'll have a solid crop of youth to build from regardless.

[zeebneeb]

It depends really. If your talking purely should, and selfish reasons, maybe tank another year, and land yet another top pick. This year has been intoxicating in terms of having a good GM, who has goals, and executed them correctly. I don't care what anyone else thinks, Weaver has done an utterly amazing job in under a damn year. Tore the team down completely, landed 4 picks in the draft all of which are legit contributors, and is on schedule for the 2nd worst record in the league.

In reality? If you take a real look at this team, and add a top 4 pick, I don't think there is any way it can have a record as bad as this season. They have been competitive all year, and lost a bunch of close games. With this year under their belt, and an actual training camp, and summer to get up to speed, it wouldn't surprise me at all of this team is on the cusp of making the playoffs, or squeaking in. They are nowhere near as bad as their record indicates.

Hayes/Lee
Top 4 pick/Jackson
Bey/Jackson
Grant/Sekou
Stewart/Plumlee

If the team adds a scoring gaurd in the draft, say Green, no way they have a 20-25 win season.

[Snakebites]

I'll also add that being in the mid-late lottery is only necessarily bad if your roster has limited upside, as was the case when Blake/Dre were on the team, and I'd also argue would have been the case this year, when we didn't have ENOUGH upside.

Next year? Hopefully we'll have a blue chip prospect, our current young guys will continue to develop, and maybe we'll even add another Saben Lee level guy or 2 with our second rounders. And no, we won't be great next year. But if we end up as a lower lotto team, or even a fringe play-in candidate, with good development from the youth, I'm okay with that.

It's still too early to know what direction the team should be taking next year, and if you're hoping we'll just tank from the outset next year I'd say you're not only wrong but very likely to be disappointed. If we wanted to do that we'd have gotten whatever we could for Grant and others.

If we're really in a position where tanking is the best option (IE, if we start off similar to how we played to start this season), it means our young players will have disappointed. Nobody should want that.

[vic]

The direction has already been set honestly.

They see Jerami Grant as a star.

They want to draft another star to help him.

They got a Core Four to keep growing, and some nice young growing players to surround their 2 stars next year.

The only way they tank is if Jerami gets injured or they trade him.

Troy is ready to go and Casey isn't going to destroy his record another year. Hes going to do what he did at Toronto and keep developing guys until he can either something or retire with the Pistons on his own terms.

That's my opinion

[Mr Peanut]

I would guess the plan is to try draft a stud and otherwise re-sign guys like Diallo/Frank Jackson/Lee (sorry DSJ) and run it back again.

With internal development of players like Hayes/Bey/Stewart/Sekou +/- Diallo, we could potentially be competing for a play-in spot if we're healthy. But if that looks unlikely by the midway point of the season then we should bottom out and shoot for another high pick before attempting to make a FA splash the following summer when Griffin is off the books.

[440BB]

I don't think tanking or the playoffs are the direction next year, just adding another very good youngster and letting the team develop would be what I expect. 2023 is the year the playoffs should be the goal.

[Canadafan]

I would guess the plan is to try draft a stud and otherwise re-sign guys like Diallo/Frank Jackson/Lee (sorry DSJ) and run it back again.

With internal development of players like Hayes/Bey/Stewart/Sekou +/- Diallo, we could potentially be competing for a play-in spot if we're healthy. But if that looks unlikely by the midway point of the season then we should bottom out and shoot for another high pick before attempting to make a FA splash the following summer when Griffin is off the books.

Summer of 2022 we'll have major cap space. Blake will be done after next year. Pretty excited for our future especially after we add Cade since we're totally getting the #1pick

[bstein14]

The team is still incredibly young, and in reality the push for the playoffs most likely results in them falling just short of the playoffs. Would be amazing if they could push forward into the playoffs but that has them jumping ahead of some pretty good teams.

Top Tier: Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Philly
Mid Tier: Miami, Boston, Atlanta, New York

That is 7 teams that should be there for sure and then you have the 3rd tier which we could jump into including teams like Washington, Charlotte, Indy, Toronto. Even Cleveland and Chicago could be much improve next year so overall there is no easy climb up the ladder. The most likely scenario next year is we win somewhere between 30 and 35 games unless we realize we can't make the playoffs and begin to rest guys again and try to improve draft odds.

Push for the playoffs means likely drafting 9th or 10th, but also it puts you on the right path for the playoffs the following year. It seems like consistent improvement each year is going to likely be the goal unless Weaver is really set on adding another top 5 pick next year. The good thing with the new lottery odds is you still have an outside chance at moving up into the top 4 even if you finish 9th or 10th worst in the league. This year for example, the odds are that one of Chicago, New Orleans, Sacramento or Toronto will move up into the top 4.

[foolinc]

So I selected get into the playoffs if we have a top 4 pick, but I don't think there is an option for what I think we are going to do this season which is kind of ignore the win-loss record for most of the season and focus on player development.

Even with renouncing the rights on CoJo and the extra money from Blake's buy-out, we aren't going to have enough cap room to make a big splash, and might not want to considering the cap room we will have the year after. Feels like we will be using that money on re-signing the young fliers we got this year and maybe the "next" Delon Wright.

With that kind of a roster, I think Weaver will take more "wait and see" approach to see how the rookies are coming along as we near the deadline. If we are in a similar position as this year, then I could see us sell off Plumlee (or even Grant), while if we are in the mix for the play-in game, I could see us make a small move (like with what the Kings did to upgrade from CoJo to Wright).

In any case, I don't see the Pistons tanking for the number one pick in draft from the jump like we did this season.

[thesack12]

I think its unlikely all of Hayes/Stewart/Bey finish out their rookie contracts in Detroit. Even if they do, odds are at least one of them won't sign an extension with Detroit.

Having 3 guys all up for extensions in the same offseason is not an ideal situation, especially when each of the 3 will probably be demanding/deserving huge raises. Then the following year, the '21 pick will be up due for a big extension as well.

While obviously they don't need to worry about it for awhile, some decisions will need to be made on these young guys by the time they are going into their 4th year.

[Snakebites]

By the way, for the record, I didn't like any of the options, so I didn't vote.

People are way too all or nothing these days- positions lack nuance. I don't believe we set out this season looking to tank from day 1. That's just how things developed.

[jakebernat]

I think its unlikely all of Hayes/Stewart/Bey finish out their rookie contracts in Detroit. Even if they do, odds are at least one of them won't sign an extension with Detroit.

Having 3 guys all up for extensions in the same offseason is not an ideal situation, especially when each of the 3 will probably be demanding/deserving huge raises. Then the following year, the '21 pick will be up due for a big extension as well.

While obviously they don't need to worry about it for awhile, some decisions will need to be made on these young guys by the time they are going into their 4th year.

...lolwut?

[vege]

We are not 1 rookie away from being decent, even if that rookie is LeBron. We'll still be a bad team, so yeah, we'll tank another year at least, probably a few more.

[chrbal]

Say we resign Diallo, Frank, Sirv, and keep Cook around. Those guys and the lottery pick is 14 players.

Figure Joseph gets added to the dead money group. McGruder and Smith are set free.

Team needs a guy for a McGruder type role at pg, because hopefully we’ll have the inexperienced trio of Hayes, Lee, and Jackson.

Add in two way guys and you’re at 17. So whatever that option is, it’s not listed.