The Detroit Pistons will have a more difficult road in pursuit of the Central Division title this upcoming season
Over the offseason, the level of competition in the Eastern Conference seemingly intensified by an order of magnitude with several squads making legitimate improvements to become challengers.
Among those teams, the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors brought superstars into the building this summer, and they have a legitimate chance to block the Detroit Pistons’ return to the top seed in the East. But before reaching that point, the Pistons should worry about their own division first because the Central looks to be a vicious three-team battle all year long.
Last season, the Pistons cruised to a Central Division title by way of their 60-win regular season campaign, and there wasn’t too much drama in the outcome of that race. The Cleveland Cavaliers finished at a 52-30 mark, and the division could be safely classified into three tiers: the Pistons, the Cavs and everybody else.
In terms of the cellar dwellers, the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls faced a lot of mid-season uncertainty and had to shift directions after slow starts, and they finished tangled in third and fourth place respectively. The Bucks were a mediocre group without Giannis Antetokounmpo at 32-50 when the regular season wrapped up, and the Bulls were one game behind that pace.
Of course, the Indiana Pacers occupied the bottom spot in the Central since they were without their leader and star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. With the game-changing floor general out due to Achilles rehab, the Pacers were a shell of the squad that challenged the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals so recently, but he’s reportedly ready to go for the start of the 2026-27 season.
As for the Cavs, there was a potential push early in the offseason to land LeBron James in free agency that never came to fruition, so their most important move otherwise was re-signing James Harden to keep their core together. Now, the Cavs also made a trade to bring in Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets that will pay dividends for Cleveland down the road, but Harden’s presence will go further towards their pursuit of the Central Division title.
In terms of matchups, the Pistons did not lose a single season series against any opponent in the Eastern Conference last season, and it is difficult to see that changing against the Central this year. Now, the Cavs knocked Detroit out of the postseason in the second round so they are clearly a quality team that could hold a mental edge over the Pistons at the moment, but Cleveland did not do enough in the offseason to take the pole position.
With regard to the Pacers, Haliburton’s return immediately makes Pascal Siakam more valuable as the team’s No. 2 option after he shouldered the load all of last year. Indiana should operate much more smoothly with Haliburton conducting the squad’s offense, so look for the Pacers to play at a much higher level during the upcoming season.
The Pistons’ ultimate finish this season depends on how their new supporting cast meshes or how long it takes for them to establish some chemistry. After trading for four sharp-shooting veterans, losing four Detroit mainstays and bringing in two more prospects through the draft, the Pistons had a lot of turnover during the summer, but it was limited to role players. Detroit’s main core is still intact with Cade Cunningham elevating Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, so the Pistons have a quality opportunity to repeat in the Central.
Based on all the moves this offseason, the Bulls and Bucks could very well battle for fourth place in the Central. Chicago still appears a couple years away in their rebuild, and the Bucks are trying to flip their roster on the fly with Tyler Herro leading the way, so both of those situations are still heavily in flux. The Pistons, Cavs and Pacers have much more continuity, and the Central Division champion is likely to come out of that group.
