NBA GM Survey Supports My Love For 2022-23 Detroit Pistons

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NBA executives know what's up with the Detroit Pistons. The 21st annual NBA GM Survey was released Tuesday, Oct. 4 and I'm even more optimistic about my season-long future bets for Detroit.

Here are a few of the survey answers NBA GMs that should have Pistons fans excited for the upcoming year:

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NBA.com

The 1st team on this list just acquired 3-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell who, on paper, is the perfect fit for the Cavs.

Mitchell adds a needed go-to scorer that Cleveland can run its offense through and relieve pressure off of PG Darius Garland.

To be honest, I'm lukewarm on this year's Cavs team but can certainly see the upside. If Mobley takes a step forward and Mitchell learns how to play defense, Cleveland has Eastern Conference Finals upside.

The only other team ahead of the Pistons is the Grizzlies gave last year's NBA champion (Golden State Warriors) its toughest challenge in the postseason.

Memphis has a bonafide superstar running the show, Ja Morant. Ja's injury in the second round turned a coin-flip playoff series into a lock for Golden State.

I'm cool with who the NBA GMs selected to have a higher upside than the Pistons and encouraged by who they voted Detroit ahead of. The NBA GMs could've easily chosen the Toronto Raptors with Scottie Barnes or the Atlanta Hawks with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray before the Pistons.

But, again, the NBA GMs are seeing what I'm seeing with Detroit led by future superstar Cade Cunningham.

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NBA.com

Although not egregious, this is an error by the NBA GMs. Cunningham is going to change the trajectory of Detroit's franchise. Also, Cunningham's style is more fitting for your standard "breakout season".

The Pistons will run their offense through Cunningham whose IQ is through the roof and has the ability to create looks for teammates. My projection for Cade's ceiling is somewhere between Luka Doncic and Ja.

Plus Mobley is already coming into the season injured and he has the 3rd-biggest role on the Cavs, at best. Cade's offense has a higher upside than Mobley's defense in my opinion.

However, Mobley would need to be a top-5 defensive player immediately to have more of a breakout season than Cunningham.

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Detroit thinks it found a future starting big with the 13th overall pick, C Jalen Duren. At first, the Pistons are looking for Duren to have an immediate impact on rebounding, rim- and paint-protection.

Hopefully, Duren can give the Pistons vertical spacing, a legit roll-man in the pick-and-roll with Cunningham and maybe develop an offensive move or jumper.

At the minimum, Duren along with bigs Isaiah Stewart and Nerlens Noel can provide a rebounding and defensive presence to Detroit's frontcourt.

With G Jaden Ivey, it's all upside for the Pistons. If Ivey is a legit No. 2 then Detroit's young core looks that much stronger.

There's a world where Ivey is an All-Star-caliber player and the Pistons have one of the best backcourts in the NBA.

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The Pistons acquiring wing Bojan Bogdanovic is the keystone for my Detroit season-long bets. The only other player in front of Bogdanovic who I have an issue with is Brogdon because of his consistent injury history.

But, Bogdanovic brings a floor-spacing, 3-point shooter to Detroit's offense that can help open driving lanes for Cunningham and Ivey. Bogdanovic can create his own shot and has played in the playoffs for the past 3 seasons.

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Geoff Clark serves as OutKick’s sports betting guru. As a writer and host of OutKick Bets with Geoff Clark, he dives deep into the sports betting landscape and welcomes an array of sports betting personalities on his show to handicap America’s biggest sporting events. Previously, Clark was a writer/podcaster for USA TODAY's Sportsbook Wire website, handicapping all the major sports tentpoles with a major focus on the NFL, NBA and MLB. Clark graduated from St. John University.