We've had like 4 separate Pistons posts the last about 36 hours surrounding what the community thinks about their potential this season, thinks about Cade, thinks about Cade and Ivey together. I love it because the Pistons are not discussed too often....although there hasn't been much to discuss in recent years.

Although some of their fans and others may have high hopes for their future and they made a perceived improvement at the coaching position from Dwane Casey to Monty Williams, and although it is true that Cade Cunningham is healthy and Ausar Thompson has a high ceiling as a talent, it is also true the Pistons were 3-9 with Cade available last season and had the leagues worst net rating.

Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren have a year of seasoning under their belts and both grew significantly over the course of the season last season, but the Pistons on paper still have for me the worst team in the league. The least amount of established talent, no clue whether Cade+Ivey can co-exist in a real NBA game (summer scrimmages are nice but that's not a real game, although it does stand to help them going into the season that they've had some time beside each other to figure out and develop chemistry). Isaiah Stewart and Duren had a horrible net rating together yet are basically penciled in as the guaranteed front court.

Monty Williams likes Stewart a lot and has raved about his defense, toughness, and teamwork on both ends but he's an improving but still below average 3 point and midrange shooter, poor finisher for a big, and statistically a mediocre perimeter defender. But he is young and still has upside to get better as well. If Bogdanovic starts at SF the Pistons will probably have the worst defensive outlook on paper in the association.

Monte Morris and Joe Harris gives the Pistons bench a measure of veteran steadiness and shooting and Alec Burks is a very good bench scorer. Morris and Burks seems like a pretty solid tandem offensively for the Pistons. Ausar is a dynamic swiss army knife with the potential to be an immediate defensive plus. But their backup C rotation looks very shaky with Marvin Bagley and James Wiseman competing for the role...both have been abysmal as defensive anchors in their careers. Both are in make-or-break territory at this point.

Killian Hayes has made small improvements but heading into Year 4 as the worst offensive impact player in the league has lost his rotation spot in Detroit and will need injuries to get back into the mix it seems.

Pistons do have some proven talent. Especially the Morris/Burks tandem. That's a pair that should work. The bench offensively has the potential to be pretty good. I wouldn't be shocked if their bench has a better net rating than their starting group. They have upside talent across their roster, but none that have proven they can win NBA games as a group.

Overall this is the worst team in the NBA to me. May not finish with the worst record, although I think the chances are pretty high they do. But I'm not asking you all to predict record. Do you think the Pistons are the NBA's worst team on paper?