Detroit Pistons

23-59, no playoffs

Overview: The Pistons seem to be on their way up from rock bottom, assembling a dynamic backcourt, acquiring a veteran scorer and keeping a nucleus of promising young players. “It’s the most talent we’ve had since I’ve been here,” said coach Dwane Casey, entering his fifth season in Detroit. “It’s also the youngest talent that we’ve had. ”Cade Cunningham, who validated Detroit’s decision to draft him No. 1 overall in 2021, and speedy guard Jaden Ivey, the fifth pick in June, may provide a needed dose of hope for the franchise’s future. And when Detroit general manager Troy Weaver traded last year’s leading scorer Jerami Grant because he didn’t want to give him a long-term contract, it led to the draft-night acquisition of center Jalen Duren, the 13th pick in the draft. Then Weaver made a savvy trade last month to acquire Bojan Bogdanovic from Utah in exchange for spare parts, and kicked the team’s plans into another gear. “We’re in another stage of our restore and rebuild by adding Bojan,” Weaver said of Bogdanovic, who averaged 18.1 points last season with the Jazz.

Quote: “I don’t think you can just wake up one day and become a contender,” said Weaver, who is in his third season of retooling the roster. “I think there’s different phases you have to go through.”