Auburn Hills — Being swept in a playoff series isn’t anything to be excited about.
But after the Pistons’ first-round loss to the Cavaliers last season, the organization and pundits were optimistic about the prospects moving forward.
That continued into training camp, with all of the starters returning and bolstering the bench with a couple of key free agents, raising expectations this season. Some projections had the Pistons as high as 50 wins and fourth in the Eastern Conference — a huge jump over their 44 victories and No. 8 seed from last season.
They got Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije in the draft and Stanley Johnson had an encouraging summer, honing his skills and looking to improve as their multi-tool sixth man.