The Detroit Pistons earned the dubious distinction of becoming the team with the longest losing streak in NBA history with 28 games this season. Despite their historically bad season, EuroLeague players think they could be actually competitive in Europe. HoopsHype asked some EuroLeague players how the Pistons would fare in Europe and the responses were interesting.
Chima Moneke, who’s playing in Spain for Saski Baskonia doesn’t think they’d dominate.
Chima Moneke, PF, Saski Baskonia: “They would be play-in, max. That’s what people need to start asking. Think about all the young guys that they have. Dealing with the European coaches, they would not do that well. It’s not about basketball rules and what you’re used to matters. Guys are averaging 20-plus points over there, you come over here, it’s a 40-minute game, and you don’t play the entire first quarter. How are you dealing with that? You’re averaging 14 minutes a game and in the NBA you can play 26 minutes. It’s different.”
Will Clyburn, who’s playing for Turkish side Anadolu Efes believes that just their quality as NBA players would lead to them being the best team in Europe.
Will Clyburn, Small Forward, Anadolu Efes: “First place. Just the size and athleticism. It’s a reason why they’re the best players in the world. They will adjust to the game and the way it’s played here and from there it will be easy.”
Jaleen Smith who’s playing in Serbia for Partizan had a more middle-of-the-ground outlook, claiming they’d be a very high-level team and could be a Final Four team.
Jaleen Smith, Point Guard, Partizan– “I think they’d finish in the Final Four in the Euroleague. NBA guys are good… even though some bench players in the league don’t look good in the NBA setting, they are still at that level for a reason.”
The Pistons are hard to decipher, as they’ve been competitive in many games that they lost in the fourth quarter. Even their last night’s loss against the Knicks came down to the final possession and ended in controversial fashion. They have been dealt a bad hand, but the team is still promising for the future.
The Pistons Will Hope To Improve Next Season
It’s hard to imagine the Pistons being as bad as they’ve been this year next season. The team has a promising group of young players, headlined by the trio of Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, and Jalen Duren, along with talented players like Jaden Ivey. They’ll add another high draft pick this season, further bolstering their young core.
Along with that, the Pistons are expected to be one of the main cap space teams in the offseason. They could have up to $60 million to offer free agents in the summer and with NBA teams required to fill up their salary floor to 90%, the Pistons will have to spend money. It’ll be similar to what the Rockets did this season, using space on contracts for Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks.
Detroit has multiple avenues to get better. They’re likely tied to Monty Williams as coach for another season, even though many of the problems of this year could be attributed to him. Nonetheless, the future is bright in Detroit if they can find the best way to utilize their talented youngsters and future space.
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