The Pistons (0-0) will look to build on the foundation of a quick turnaround from the standings gutter to Playoff hopefuls in just a matter of a couple of years. The team has continued to build around Andre Drummond, who had another monster year defensively, leading the NBA in boards with 14.8 per contest and double-doubles with a whopping 66. Drummond dropped 16.2 points in starting all but one game for Detroit last season, and will again be joined by Tobias Harris, who signed with the team from Orlando late last season and finished with 16.6 points and 6.2 boards through 27 games. Ish Smith comes to the unit after serving as a lone bright spot for the hapless Philadelphia 76ers last season, where he hung an average of 14.7 points per outing. Anything less than an improvement over their eighth place Eastern Conference finish would be considered a disappointment.
The Raptors (0-0) would be hard-pressed to improve on what they were able to accomplish in their 2015-16 campaign, making it to the Eastern Conference Finals and giving a game effort against the eventual NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers. Still, the Raptors remain in the top flight of the conference, and with the exception of losing Bismack Biyombo to the Orlando Magic, have the majority of their producers back in the fold. The dangerous tandem of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry return to the starting lineup, where they averaged 23.5 and and 21.2 points per game, respectively. Lowry added 6.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds and demonstrated a flair for the dramatic through the Playoffs to keep Toronto in the hunt. The team added former Celtic Jared Sullinger in the offseason, who should help keep the Raptors as a top three defense in the league. The team play five of their first six games north of the border.
