A year after making the No. 1 overall pick, the Detroit Pistons once again found themselves near the bottom of the NBA standings this season. However, that doesn't mean the 2021-22 season was a disappointment. Pistons GM Troy Weaver is fully aware that rebuilding a roster in the NBA takes patience.
"The process is to build a sustainable winner, and that takes time," Weaver said after the trade deadline. "I'm sure everyone would like us to fast track it, but you only have one shot at this thing. We'll continue to follow the blueprint and we feel very confident we'll come out on the other side of this thing the right way."
Despite their record, the Pistons are closer to at least making the play-in tournament in 2023 than they are to finishing in the cellar again. Their ongoing rebuild should begin to yield fruit next season, so long as Weaver makes the right moves this offseason and continues to be patient.
Let's take a look at what's ahead for Detroit this summer, keeping in mind that next month's draft lottery could affect some of these plans.