When you compare the team starting this season to the one that finished 6-6 in the last 12 games of last season, there are few changes.
McGee replaces Thompson as the backup center.
Okoro replaces McKinnie.
A healthy Windler replaces an injured Windler.
Dotson replaces....Mooney?
Otherwise it's the same group. The biggest change will probably be at small forward. Cedi Osman averaged 29.4 minutes per game last year. This season he'll be in a three-man dogfight with Windler and Okoro for minutes at the 3 and there may be times where JBB wants to go big with a front line of Drummond, Love, and Nance.
McGee will take some of Thompson's minutes. Drummond will get the rest.
The biggest question IMO will concern Andre Drummond. He has been working on transforming his game to one involving less post-up and more movement. His workout video shows him dribbling, passing, running the baseline, and shooting corner 3's. He was traded for scraps by the Pistons who believed his game doesn't translate to the modern NBA. He got the message and is trying to become a different kind of player in his contract season.
The question is whether A) he can play effectively away from the basket, B) if Bickerstaff is OK with him running around and playing like a small forward or whether he wants Sexton, Garland, Porter, and Love to do the ball-handling while Dre sets picks and crashes the glass, and C) how Dre will react if JBB doesn't let him play the way he wants to play and showcase his new skills for his next contract.
This could be heaven or hell, IMO. Heaven would be if Drummond knows he has to beat the rap he got in Detroit as a guy who puts up solid point/rebound numbers but doesn't help you win because of turnovers, weak free throw shooting (which he's improved, by the way), and bad defense. So he buys into what JBB wants and becomes a consummate team player with new skills that work with the movement oriented offense. Hell would be if he isn't getting nearly enough shots to be happy on a team with a lot of scorers and is also frustrated at not being allowed to handle the ball a lot and showcase his new skills. His frustration is evident and JBB gives more minutes to McGee, who provides better defense, rim protection, and plays within the team concept.
This is going to be interesting to watch. The other interesting areas will be the dogfight for minutes at the small forward position and the amount of improvement by Porter and Garland after their rookie seasons. Also, whether Sexton can pick up where he left off last year when he averaged 30.0 ppg on 58.3% shooting and 4.3 assists over his last five games playing strictly off the ball. Finally, how much help can Okoro and Windler provide in their rookie seasons?
It will be also interesting to watch JBB experiment with different lineups - small, big, defense-oriented, etc. What lineup does he put on the floor late in the 4th quarter of a close game? Always the same or will it vary depending on the opponent? Does he go with the vets, for example, Drummond, Love, Nance, Sexton, and Delly? Or does he use Garland and Porter? If he wants to put his best defensive team on the floor to protect a lead does he go with McGee, Nance, Okoro, Dotson, and Porter or something else?
I can't wait to see how this team comes together and what combinations end up emerging as the best in any given situation.