On Friday, ESPN staff writer Kevin Pelton projected the win total for every NBA team. The Detroit Pistons checked in at 39.4 projected wins, which placed them eighth in the standings in the Eastern Conference.
While Pelton’s outlook is good enough for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, it’s still unsatisfying. Last season, the Pistons went 39-43 and it was considered an abject failure – and that left them out of the playoffs by a full 4.0 games. In 2016-2017, Detroit finished at an even more disappointing 37-45.
The last time the Pistons sniffed anything close to success was the 2015-2016 season.