Detroit Pistons Roster, Key Dates and Preseason Schedule for 2021-22 NBA Season

The Detroit Pistons' plan to tank in the 2020-21 NBA season paid dividends as the team ended up landing Cade Cunningham, the no. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft. With Cunningham leading an impressive young core that also had last year's pick, Killian Hayes, on it, the Pistons are expected to improve on their performances from last year in the upcoming season.

With the 2021-22 NBA season less than a month away, we will take a look at the Detroit Pistons' roster, preseason, schedule, and key dates in this article.

Detroit Pistons roster for the 2021-22 NBA Season

NBA 2020-21: Miami Heat v Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons will go into the new season with multiple rookies, with Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Livers being two prominent names. Jerami Grant is expected to be the de-facto leader of the team, while Corey Joseph will provide much-needed experience.

Killian Hayes is expected to improve massively after suffering a serious injury setback in the 2020-21 NBA season and could form a productive backcourt partnership with Cunningham.

Player Name	Position	Years in NBA
Rodney McGruder	Guard	5
Kelly Olynyk	Forward	8
Jerami Grant	Forward	7
Chris Smith (two-way)	Forward	R
Cory Joseph	Guard	10
Trey Lyles	Forward	6
Killian Hayes	Guard	1
Saben Lee	Guard	1
Saddiq Bey	Forward	1
Luka Garza (two-way)	Center	R
Isaiah Livers	Forward	R
Isaiah Stewart	Forward	1
Jamorko Pickett	Forward	R
Cade Cunningham	Guard	R
Deividas Syrividis	Guard	1
Hamidou Diallo	Guard	3
Frank Jackson	Guard	3
Anthony Tarke	Guard	R

Key dates for Detroit Pistons entering the 2021-22 NBA season

Media Day: September 27, 2021 - Monday

Training Camp Start Date: September 28, 2021 - Tuesday

Season Opener: Chicago Bulls vs Detroit Pistons, (October 20th, 2021 - Wednesday, 7:00 PM ET).

The Detroit Pistons will open their NBA season with a game against the Chicago Bulls, who have undergone considerable changes in terms of their roster over the summer. DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball will come in to aid Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, forming one of the most fearsome quartets in the league.

Detroit Pistons preseason schedule and dates

The Detroit Pistons will begin their preseason with a game against the San Antonio Spurs, who will be hopeful of a spot in the Play-In tournament next season. The game against the Spurs will be followed by trips to Memphis and New York to take on the Grizzlies and the Knicks. The Pistons will end their pre-season schedule with a match against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Date and Time	Match	TV
Wednesday, October 6th, 7:00 PM ET	San Antonio Spurs vs Detroit Pistons	Bally Sports Detroit
Monday, October 11th, 8:00 PM ET	Detroit Pistons vs Memphis Grizzlies	Bally Sports Detroit
Wednesday, October 13th, 7:00 PM ET	Detroit Pistons vs New York Knicks	Bally Sports Detroit
Friday, October 15th, 7:00 PM ET	Philadelphia 76ers vs Detroit Pistons	Bally Sports Detroit

The Detroit Pistons are arguably in a tougher conference in the NBA, and they will have to be at their best to win matches considering how young their roster is. It's going to be a significant learning curve for their youngsters, and head coach Dwayne Casey will hope that his experienced players will turn out to be ideal mentors for the players junior to them.