The Detroit Pistons are nearing the point where they gather all of their offseason acquisitions and let them play it out on the basketball court for the first time, as the NBA preseason gets set to begin in approximately one week.
Stanley Johnson, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, was the franchise’s reward for missing out on the postseason yet again last year. With his performance during the summer league a few months ago, the athletic forward out of Arizona will be a crucial piece for ending Detroit’s postseason drought, which has been in place since the 2008-09 season.
On October 6, the Pistons see their first preseason action against the Indiana Pacers at the Palace of Auburn Hills. According to secondary market ticket aggregator TiqIQ.com, Detroit Pistons tickets have an average price of $34 with a get-in price of only $5. It’s a great opportunity for fans to get in on cheap NBA action, especially before ticket prices rise for the regular season. Hipmunk.com offers Detroit flights from most major airline carriers for out-of-town Pistons fans, and can pair it with a hotel in Detroit starting from $51 to create an NBA preseason trip.
The Pistons start the preseason with two home games, as after hosting the Pacers, they’ll take on the Brooklyn Nets. The average ticket price for that affair is $44, with a get-in price of $5. Detroit hits the road for the first time on October 10 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center when they face the Milwaukee Bucks, in which the average ticket price is $50.31 and the get-in price is $13. Their most expensive game of the preseason is in Chicago against the Bulls at the United Center, yielding an average ticket price of $101.20.
Johnson may see time with the starting lineup right away. Four spots in the starting lineup are all but assured between Reggie Jackson, the returning Brandon Jennings, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Andre Drummond. With the departure of Greg Monroe, Johnson and newly-acquired Ersan Ilyasova are the two logical candidate for the fifth and final starting position.
With Detroit being in the Eastern Conference, even a small improvement will increase their chances to end the franchise’s postseason drought. Last season, the Nets made the playoffs with a record that was six games under .500 after 82 games. Under head coach Stan Van Gundy, the Pistons certainly have a shot.
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