The Detroit Pistons open the 2022-23 regular season on Oct. 19 at home against the Orlando Magic. The Pistons are seeking to make the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2019, and for only the second time since 2009.
Oddsmakers don’t like what they see from Detroit’s roster, despite several promising young players. You can get +850 odds on the Pistons to make the NBA Playoffs from DraftKings.
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Sports Illustrated recently capsulized the team this way: “The Pistons are extremely talented, but they’re also extremely young. The 2022 season has the potential to play out in a lot of different ways.” So true, which makes forecasting the upcoming season and NBA betting so difficult.
Following a promising rookie season, guard Cade Cunningham will be joined in the backcourt by rookie Jaden Ivey, the fifth overall pick in last June’s NBA Draft. The slashing two-guard is drawing some comparisons to Russell Westbrook in playing style, and if he and Cunningham can channel their offensive games and pour in points, the Pistons are not an outlandish pick to at least get to an NBA Playoff play-in game.
NBA Playoffs Odds
Not every Michigan sportsbook offers odds on “To Make the NBA Playoffs,” so you’ll have to shop around. DraftKings does, and here are the odds for Detroit and a few of the other Eastern Conference teams:
NBA Playoffs Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
- Detroit Pistons +850
- Boston Celtics -3500
- Milwaukee Bucks -3000
- Brooklyn Nets -2000
- Philadelphia 76ers -1000
- Miami Heat -800
- Cleveland Cavaliers -350
- Atlanta Hawks -265
- Toronto Raptors -265
- Chicago Bulls -125
- New York Knicks +155
- Charlotte Hornets +265
- Washington Wizards +340
- Orlando Magic +1200
- Indiana Pacers +2500
BetMGM, Caesars, PointsBet, and FanDuel all have markets for NBA Finals champion, conference champion, NBA’s division champs, and wins. But they do not list prices for Making the NBA Playoffs odds.
The Pistons are listed at 500-to-1 by BetMGM to win the NBA Finals, and 250-to-1 to win the Eastern Conference. FanDuel lists Detroit at 500-to-1 and 240-to-1 respectively, for the same futures bets.
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What is a Futures bet?
A futures bet is a wager on something that you think a team will accomplish in a season. Examples of futures bets are a team to win the NBA Finals, a team to win Over 55.5 games in the NBA season or to win their division, and so on.
In 2014-15, the Golden State Warriors were listed as +2800 by some sportsbooks to win the NBA Finals before the season started. The Warriors won the NBA Finals in June of 2015, setting off a dynasty. That team overcame the longest futures odds to win an NBA title in the last 35 years.
With odds at 500-to-1 for the Pistons to win the NBA Finals in 2023, that means a $100 winning bet on that outcome would return $50,000.
What Will the Starting Lineup be for the Detroit Pistons?
Fans were delighted with the first half of Cade Cunningham’s season, but his decline after the All-Star break showed that the talented young guard needed to beef up. That he has, reportedly adding as much as 20 pounds of muscle to his frame before arriving at training camp. If “Hulk” Cunningham can withstand the long NBA schedule better in his second season, the Pistons and head coach Dwane Casey will benefit.
Detroit made a few moves this offseason with an eye to the future. The team obviously sees the Eastern Conference as ripe for a new strong contender, and the Pistons want to be that team in the next few years. That’s why they packaged several draft picks acquired in other deals to grab Jalen Duren from the Knicks.
Some observers think the Pistons got another Ben Wallace in Duren, a chiseled 6-10 undersized center who commands the paint. Sound familiar? But Duren won’t turn 19 until November, so he has a lot of maturation to come. Still, with Ivey (a Rookie of the Year candidate), Cunningham, and Duren, the team has a core of young ballers.
Projected Pistons Lineup
- Cade Cunningham, PG
- Jaden Ivey, SG
- Jalen Duren, C
- Isaiah Livers, SF
- Isaiah Stewart, PF
Saddiq Bey will likely get a lot of playing time at the small forward position, and Casey may bring Livers off the bench. In the preseason, Livers, Stewart, and Duren have played as a sort of athletic, shutdown defensive frontcourt. The Pistons haven’t seen this type of athleticism and youthful energy in their frontcourt since rookies Dennis Rodman and John Salley came into the NBA together.
DraftKings “To Win X Games” Betting
Over at DraftKings Michigan, you can select from a number of betting markets on the Pistons, including games to win. For example, Detroit is +800 to win as many as 40 regular season games. You can even get positive odds on 35+ wins at +300 for the Pistons. If you think the young Detroit roster has it in it to win that many, an NBA bet on those odds is a good strategy.
Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire
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