Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat is defended by Killian Hayes #7 of the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Detroit Pistons are one of the youngest teams in the NBA, so their chances of making the playoffs next season were already slim.
Those chances probably just got even slimmer, as All-Star Donovan Mitchell was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, making the Central Division even tougher.
In the past, the Central division was the king of the NBA, with teams like the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls dominating in the late 80’s, 90’s and into the mid-2000’s.
Since then it has been up and down, usually with one or two good teams at the top, and three bad ones at the bottom. Now the Division is a little more stacked, but where does it rank overall in the NBA?
Detroit Pistons: Where does the Central Division stand now?
#6: Northwest Division
- Denver Nuggets
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- Portland Trail Blazers
- OKC Thunder
- Utah Jazz
If everything went perfectly for the Nuggets or Timberwolves, they could win the Western Conference, so there is some firepower atop the division, but after that it’s just mediocre or bad.
Portland got better with the addition of Jerami Grant, but will still likely be fighting for the play-in, while the Thunder and Jazz could easily be the two worst teams in the league, especially after OKC lost Chet Holmgren for the season.
#5: Southeast Division
- Miami Heat
- Atlanta Hawks
- Charlotte Hornets
- Washington Wizards
- Orlando Magic
The Heat are definitely contenders to win the Eastern Conference, and the Hawks should be improved with the addition of Dejounte Murray.
But after that you have the Hornets, who haven’t done much to improve this offseason, ditto for the Wizards, who are still just Bradley Beal and a bunch of role players, and the Orlando Magic, who have a great young core, but are realistically a year away from really competing.