Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images There’s optimism and intrigue around the Pistons potential this season I’m not sure when you thought the Detroit Pistons season went up in flames last season, and frankly, it was all so bad that I don’t remember either, but I told myself one thing. I’m going to make them prove it to me from now on. The Pistons have teased and teased over the past four seasons. They’ve entered the season with expectations — not even that big of expectations — and have constantly failed to reach them. Sometimes it’s an injury (Cade Cunningham two years ago) or awful coaching (Monty Williams last year) but in the end its always the same result: disappointing. This season, I’m feeling optimism creep up. I know they’re a trendy team to overachieve and that feels like a good energy to have... but I’m holding steady. I need them to show me they can be good before I believe it. For the sake of #content, let’s dream on two hypotheticals for this season: The Detroit Pistons will be... a top 15 defensive team This sounds crazy on the surface, but it feels reasonable to me. Detroit was 25th in defense last season, which felt generous, but they’ve flashed some REAL improvements on that end of the floor this preseason. They’re fourth in the NBA with a 96.8 defensive rating this preseason, giving up just 97.2 points per game (a league-best 33.6 in the paint per game) while forcing opposing teams into turnovers on 19.1 percent of their possessions, good for sixth in the league. J.B. Bickerstaff elevated the defense in Cleveland with the Cavs, and I think he could do it in Detroit. The difference between 25th in the NBA in defensive rating (118) and 15th (114.4) isn’t as big as you’d think. The Detroit Pistons will be... a play-in team Here’s the bold one. Now, I’m not predicting this, but with the bottom of the East in shambles and Detroit showing signs of life and competence, it has to be discussed as a possibility. My logic start with the coach. Bickerstaff took over an awful Cavs team and won 22 games. The next year, he got them to 44 wins and the play-in tournament. Now, acquiring a pair of difference makers in Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell helped a lot. However, I think the Pistons have pieces that, frankly, have been misused, managed and under-developed. If — and this if is the million dollar question — the new staff can finally mine some of the potential out of these guys, they can make a much quieter but equally impressive 15- to 20-win improvement. It requires three things: Cade makes the All-Star-borderline-All-NBA leap. I wrote a lot about this in my Cade season preview, but this is crucial for the Pistons next steps as a team. Jaden Ivey finally finds his way in Detroit. I’m far from an Ivey Stan, but I’m confident in his ability to make a leap this year because I saw Bickerstaff inherit a very bad version of Darius Garland and elevate him into an All-Star quickly. The defense is real. This is the one. The young guards breaking out plus veterans like Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Simone Fontecchio giving this offense life from outside will check a box, but this preseason defense being real is the lynchpin. Now, does all of that happen? I doubt it, but there’s a roadmap to success. As has been the case the previous two seasons, it starts and ends with the Pistons’ young core finally doing its job and taking a step. Let us know what your superlative is for what the Detroit Pistons can be this season in the comments!