The Detroit Pistons were the darlings of the NBA media last season when they tripled their win total from the year before and unexpectedly made the playoffs, but the kid gloves will be off this season.
Winning brings expectations, so there will be increased attention on the young Pistons, who will be getting picked apart in ways they weren’t last season when everyone was just happy they weren’t terrible for the first time in years.
Failing to make the playoffs would be seen as a big disappointment, so the Pistons face a new kind of pressure that will come with increased scrutiny from the media and less patience from the fans, who expect this team to progress.