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The Detroit Pistons finished last season 25-41, and expectations for them in 2012-13 are all over the place. There is some strong young talent and some veterans looking to make an impression, but it still remains to be seen what this team will actually look like. Most of the power rankings around the Internet have the Pistons pretty low at the start of the season.
SB Nation released its rankings on Monday, and Seth Rosenthal admits there could be some good things in Detroit. It's just so hard to understand/guess what it will look like just yet:
Here's a team still too busy digging itself out from under some contracts to be fully invested in winning immediately. On the other hand, they've got a surplus of splendid young big men, a weird and wonderful backcourt of Rodney Stuckey and Brandon Knight, and Lawrence Frank in charge. Remains to be seen how minutes get distributed with such an odd blend of veterans/expiring contracts and genuine young talent.
That description is good for a No. 24 ranking, with just six teams below them on the list. ESPN actually has the Pistons a bit lower, at No. 25, but they cite a strong preseason for Andre Drummond as a potential reason for improvement. Pro Basketball Talk has them at No. 23, also citing strong play from Drummond. CBS Sports has them the highest of these rankings, at No. 22.