Roster difference in 1 year

[kpt]

Last year in preseason we didn’t know what we had in the three rookies or the FAs. We have a better idea that two of this rooks are now cogs for our success and grant is too. Looking at our roster now we have an idea that Cade will be another cog of success and hopeful another rookie from this class is a diamond in the rough Garza/livers/smith the only source of frustration for me is if Joseph/mcgruder/lyles block PT for younger players. Looking at the two rosters I am a lot more excited about this years than last years for the upcoming year and future. Last years draft was huge in propelling us forward in our rebuild.


Saddiq Bey
Tyler Cook
Sekou Doumbouya
Wayne Ellington
Jerami Grant
Blake Griffin
Killian Hayes
Frank Jackson
Josh Jackson
Saben Lee
Rodney McGruder
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk
Jahlil Okafor
Mason Plumlee
Derrick Rose
Deividas Sirvydis
Isaiah Stewart
Delon Wright

Vs

Saddiq Bey41
Cade Cunningham2
Hamidou Diallo6
Luka Garza55
Jerami Grant9
Killian Hayes7
Frank Jackson5
Josh Jackson20
Cory Joseph18
Saben Lee38
Isaiah Livers12
Trey Lyles41
Rodney McGruder17
Kelly Olynyk41
Chris Smith43
Isaiah Stewart28

[zeebneeb]

Last year in preseason we didn’t know what we had in the three rookies or the FAs. We have a better idea that two of this rooks are now cogs for our success and grant is too. Looking at our roster now we have an idea that Cade will be another cog of success and hopeful another rookie from this class is a diamond in the rough Garza/livers/smith the only source of frustration for me is if Joseph/mcgruder/lyles block PT for younger players. Looking at the two rosters I am a lot more excited about this years than last years for the upcoming year and future. Last years draft was huge in propelling us forward in our rebuild.


Saddiq Bey
Tyler Cook
Sekou Doumbouya
Wayne Ellington
Jerami Grant
Blake Griffin
Killian Hayes
Frank Jackson
Josh Jackson
Saben Lee
Rodney McGruder
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk
Jahlil Okafor
Mason Plumlee
Derrick Rose
Deividas Sirvydis
Isaiah Stewart
Delon Wright

Vs

Saddiq Bey41
Cade Cunningham2
Hamidou Diallo6
Luka Garza55
Jerami Grant9
Killian Hayes7
Frank Jackson5
Josh Jackson20
Cory Joseph18
Saben Lee38
Isaiah Livers12
Trey Lyles41
Rodney McGruder17
Kelly Olynyk41
Chris Smith43
Isaiah Stewart28

This years draft was great because the team landed the #1 pick. Last years draft though was absolutely massive for the team. Three outstanding picks, with one TBD(Hayes). That draft was the foundation and nailing all those picks is insane.

One thing to remember as well, is that all of them are tradable assets, not iffy rookies so if the team attempts to land a whale to go alongside Cade(if he pans out)it'll work out beautifully.

If you go soley by last years draft, at least one of the other rookies Weaver selected will turn out awesome by years end. Garza so far has impressed with his work ethic and shooting, but Livers could also pan out. Weaver has an eye for talent it would seem.

I also wouldn't worry to much about players blocking others for playtime as Weaver has shown he is the boss, and he will ship anyone out at anytime, no holds barred.

This is going to be a fun season, as long as everyone keeps their expectations in check.

Low end-High lottery pick, Cade struggles.

High end-High-ish lottery pick, win improvement, Cade looks great, second year players take a step.

Unrealistic-Team makes the playoffs outright, wins a few games, massive improvement from all players, Cade is Luka 2.0

I'm picking the team to make the play-in tournament, or come excruciatingly close, and that seems like a realistic goal to me. I absolutely do not expect a top 5 pick though. 7-11 or something like that.

Starting last years season VS this year is unbelievable honestly.

[Laimbeer]

We got lucky on Cade. I can't see any other big differences.

[bstein14]

Our roster probably changed the least out of any team from the end of last year to now.

10 players back
2 New rookies in Cade(#1) & Livers(#42)
2 FA Signings in Lyles and Olynyk
1 Open roster spot

The only way it could have been more like last year would have been to keep Sekou, Okafor and Plumlee and not sign Lyles and Olynyk.

Honestly glad we made a few moves and didn't just keep 13 guys and add two rookies. I feel like you can like the guys you want to roll with but having some change is important too... especially when you were as bad as we were last season.

[flow]

Our roster probably changed the least out of any team from the end of last year to now.

10 players back
2 New rookies in Cade(#1) & Livers(#42)
2 FA Signings in Lyles and Olynyk
1 Open roster spot

The only way it could have been more like last year would have been to keep Sekou, Okafor and Plumlee and not sign Lyles and Olynyk.

Honestly glad we made a few moves and didn't just keep 13 guys and add two rookies. I feel like you can like the guys you want to roll with but having some change is important too... especially when you were as bad as we were last season.

And our coaching staff, minus a head coaching change, changed the most. Possibly ever. I don't recall a sitting head coach ever losing or getting rid of his entire front bench coaching staff in one off-season before.

.

[440BB]

The magnitude of the roster change from the start of last year isn't as much the number of players but the type of players. Casey was forced to construct a starting lineup around Griffin and a second unit around Rose, neither of which fit the style of play he wanted to develop.

Without having to accommodate those ill fitting ball dominant vets, the lineups can be put together to be effective both on the court and from a development standpoint.

Comparing last year's opening roster plus two-way players, we've swapped out 8/17 players. I've omitted Frank Jackson as he was signed as a free agent during the season. Frank would make it 9 new players since the start of last season. In no particular order or equivalence:

Plumlee => Olynyk
Wright => Joseph
Ellington => Smith
Rose => Cunningham
Griffin => Livers
Okafor => Garza
Doumbouya => Lyles
Svi => Diallo

One interesting change is the average age of those departed from last year's opening roster is 28.2 while the average age of those who replaced them is 24.4, not including Frank, who's 23.

[NYPiston]

Outside of the lottery luck, the roster was a bunch of deck chair shuffling.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that Weaver re-signed the 3 key RFA's and Olynyk is an upgrade on Plumlee for the style of offense they want to run, through Cade namely, but it's largely the same team and a team that should struggle to win games but be more exciting at least.

Much like the Lions, I just want to see a team that is better at the end of the season than they were to start and, much like the Lions, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to add another high end talent in the 2022 draft although the Lions need one much more than the Pistons do. The beauty of this upcoming draft is that it's filled with big guys and shooting guards at the top which is perfect for what the Pistons need.

[Manocad]

Outside of the lottery luck, the roster was a bunch of deck chair shuffling.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that Weaver re-signed the 3 key RFA's and Olynyk is an upgrade on Plumlee for the style of offense they want to run, through Cade namely, but it's largely the same team and a team that should struggle to win games but be more exciting at least.

Much like the Lions, I just want to see a team that is better at the end of the season than they were to start and, much like the Lions, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to add another high end talent in the 2022 draft although the Lions need one much more than the Pistons do. The beauty of this upcoming draft is that it's filled with big guys and shooting guards at the top which is perfect for what the Pistons need.

I'll second that evaluation.

Hence why I don't get worked up about anything that's happened between last year and now except for landing Cade. A lot of minor moves that obviously I hope work out, but wouldn't be surprised if many of them don't and major moves are still required. Mostly I'm just ready to see some basketball.

[Billl]

The difference for this summer is obviously just landing the top pick. Weaver did most of his house cleaning in his first off season and then followed up with the rest this summer. In the last year and a half, we have 100% turnover.

[zeebneeb]

Outside of the lottery luck, the roster was a bunch of deck chair shuffling.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that Weaver re-signed the 3 key RFA's and Olynyk is an upgrade on Plumlee for the style of offense they want to run, through Cade namely, but it's largely the same team and a team that should struggle to win games but be more exciting at least.

Much like the Lions, I just want to see a team that is better at the end of the season than they were to start and, much like the Lions, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to add another high end talent in the 2022 draft although the Lions need one much more than the Pistons do. The beauty of this upcoming draft is that it's filled with big guys and shooting guards at the top which is perfect for what the Pistons need.

I'll second that evaluation.

Hence why I don't get worked up about anything that's happened between last year and now except for landing Cade. A lot of minor moves that obviously I hope work out, but wouldn't be surprised if many of them don't and major moves are still required. Mostly I'm just ready to see some basketball.

So ready. Cannot wait. Most excitement I've had for a season since the start of the year the Pistons won the title in 04'.

Instead of just dreading another year of 35 wins and the 7th pick for the 10th time, it's full-on "holy crap, the team is on the rise!".

October 6th, first preseason game against the Spurs.

[NYPiston]

I'll second that evaluation.

Hence why I don't get worked up about anything that's happened between last year and now except for landing Cade. A lot of minor moves that obviously I hope work out, but wouldn't be surprised if many of them don't and major moves are still required. Mostly I'm just ready to see some basketball.

Amen to that. This is the most I've looked forward to a season in about 15 years (the late 00s Pistons were past their prime and had no championship aspirations even though they were still good).

What's enjoyable about this upcoming season is that this is truly Weaver's team now. No ugly contracts, no vets who are just playing out the string here, no underwhelming draft picks from the previous regime and, of course, more young talent than the Pistons have had in eons. I think we should enjoy this season because it's likely that this will be the last season without real expectations, a true development season where we can watch the young group grow together not stressing about wins/losses because I think the process will be expedited next offseason with a wealth of cap space and likely another high end young talent added in so in other words, lets get it going already. Should be fun and it's only a little less than a month away believe it or not.

[zeebneeb]

I'll second that evaluation.

Hence why I don't get worked up about anything that's happened between last year and now except for landing Cade. A lot of minor moves that obviously I hope work out, but wouldn't be surprised if many of them don't and major moves are still required. Mostly I'm just ready to see some basketball.

Amen to that. This is the most I've looked forward to a season in about 15 years (the late 00s Pistons were past their prime and had no championship aspirations even though they were still good).

What's enjoyable about this upcoming season is that this is truly Weaver's team now. No ugly contracts, no vets who are just playing out the string here, no underwhelming draft picks from the previous regime and, of course, more young talent than the Pistons have had in eons. I think we should enjoy this season because it's likely that this will be the last season without real expectations, a true development season where we can watch the young group grow together not stressing about wins/losses because I think the process will be expedited next offseason with a wealth of cap space and likely another high end young talent added in so in other words, lets get it going already. Should be fun and it's only a little less than a month away believe it or not.

To the bolded;

100% correct for team expectations. What would make it a perfect season is if not only Cade, but Hayes shows he is worth his draft slot as well.

I'm not all that worried about Cade meeting expectations because of his absurd shooting display in summer league(one of the few things summer league is good for is seeing if guys can actually shoot the damn ball)so at least we know he's going to be a good shooter.

If Hayes starts shooting and hitting, its gonna be a dream season.

[hoophabit]

Other than literally winning the lottery and getting Cunningham, the signings of Lyles and Olynyk indicates the team is trying to improve its outside threat. If successful, that does wonders for opening up the rest of the floor. Sensible when the team is suddenly flush with potentially plus playmakers. Pistons were more fun to watch last year, and expect that to improve this season. It would be a nice change from 10+ years in 'the wilderness.'

[Sort]

I agree that outside of Cade, nothing significant has happened. But what makes this season compelling from the start will definitely be the absence of Blake and Rose. I had to talk myself into turning on Blake/Rose Pistons games last year, and I didn't stay long when I did. Pistons should be like Memphis this year with a fascinating core of young players that will make for some brutal losses now and then, an overall losing record, and some downright entertaining and hopeful games otherwise.

To be honest, what will determine the season will simply be Cade's learning curve and how quickly Casey realizes he's their best player and needs to be driving the car. If he does flop, oh my, this season will be a joke. Don't see it happening, but we also don't know.

[Pharaoh]

Outside of the lottery luck, the roster was a bunch of deck chair shuffling.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that Weaver re-signed the 3 key RFA's and Olynyk is an upgrade on Plumlee for the style of offense they want to run, through Cade namely, but it's largely the same team and a team that should struggle to win games but be more exciting at least.

Much like the Lions, I just want to see a team that is better at the end of the season than they were to start and, much like the Lions, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to add another high end talent in the 2022 draft although the Lions need one much more than the Pistons do. The beauty of this upcoming draft is that it's filled with big guys and shooting guards at the top which is perfect for what the Pistons need.

I'll second that evaluation.

Hence why I don't get worked up about anything that's happened between last year and now except for landing Cade. A lot of minor moves that obviously I hope work out, but wouldn't be surprised if many of them don't and major moves are still required. Mostly I'm just ready to see some basketball.

So ready. Cannot wait. Most excitement I've had for a season since the start of the year the Pistons won the title in 04'.

Instead of just dreading another year of 35 wins and the 7th pick for the 10th time, it's full-on "holy crap, the team is on the rise!".

October 6th, first preseason game against the Spurs.

I fully expect us to be picking I that 7-11 to range next Draft but...

Things are a little bit different now!

Hayes, Lee, FJ, Diallo = interesting set of guards all trying to earn minutes around Cade and all bring different things to the table.

Grant, Bey, JJ, Livers, Lyles = interesting collection of forwards and all of them still have so much to prove.

I'm really comfortable with Stewart, KO & Garza at the 5 and all 3 should provide some real value in certain situations.

I don't want it to be the Cade show, where every single possession revolves around him being the guy as that'll wear him down over his rookie season.

Grant & Bey will shoulder their share and we need Hayes to step up to the plate too.

I believe we're most definitely on the up swing and loaded with a lot of mostly unproven young talent.

If there ever was a season to just enjoy the games this is it! Let these guys fight for their spots and by the trade deadline we'll have a much better idea of what we have

Sent from my SM-G781B using RealGM Forums mobile app

[MotownMadness]

Windhorst on the Ben Simmons situation

“I don’t mean to be evasive, I’ve just got to be careful with what I say,” said Windhorst. “I know of at least one other team who is a small-market team, that has made an offer for him and has a lot of interest in him. It just hasn’t gotten public yet.”

Think it's us?

[bstein14]

Windhorst on the Ben Simmons situation

“I don’t mean to be evasive, I’ve just got to be careful with what I say,” said Windhorst. “I know of at least one other team who is a small-market team, that has made an offer for him and has a lot of interest in him. It just hasn’t gotten public yet.”

Think it's us?

cant be us... probably OKC wanting to buy low.

[MotownMadness]

Windhorst on the Ben Simmons situation

“I don’t mean to be evasive, I’ve just got to be careful with what I say,” said Windhorst. “I know of at least one other team who is a small-market team, that has made an offer for him and has a lot of interest in him. It just hasn’t gotten public yet.”

Think it's us?

cant be us... probably OKC wanting to buy low.

Could be if we're willing to move Grant and a 1st (1-16)

[Canadafan]

Windhorst on the Ben Simmons situation

“I don’t mean to be evasive, I’ve just got to be careful with what I say,” said Windhorst. “I know of at least one other team who is a small-market team, that has made an offer for him and has a lot of interest in him. It just hasn’t gotten public yet.”

Think it's us?

I kinda hope so I know hes not a fan favorite lately but pair him with Cade and his playmaking and defense help tremendously. Just gotta get that damn shot right

[Pharaoh]

Simmons would be interesting if he was willing to play the 4.

Not sure I want us paying the price Morey apparently wants though

Sent from my SM-G781B using RealGM Forums mobile app