Name: Watch Out Next Year For The Young Detroit Pistons
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Watch Out Next Year For The Young Detroit Pistons

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The Detroit Pistons last made the NBA playoffs in 2019, capping Dwane Casey’s first year as head coach. In the years since, the Pistons immersed themselves in : They traded (Blake Griffin) and (Andre Drummond).Now, no one remains from the roster .This season, Detroit will probably finish behind only the Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic for the . But the disappointing finish hasn’t dulled the growing optimism for the franchise’s long-term future. Its young core — led by 2021 top overall pick Cade Cunningham — has provided the promising upside Detroit has sought over the years.Despite their overall struggles, the Pistons showed improvement after the All-Star break. Before an 18-point shellacking at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks on April 6, their , ranked ahead of several playoff-bound squads, including the Golden State Warriors (0.0), Mavericks (-0.3) and Chicago Bulls (-6.4). Years of roster shuffling seem to have positioned Detroit with relative stability as the team hones its identity. are the team’s fewest since Casey’s in the Motor City.Over the season, has gotten strong contributions from his promising youngsters: Cunningham and 2020 first-round selections Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey. They’ve been joined by steady veterans like 2020 gold medalist Jerami Grant and 2014 NBA champion Cory Joseph in that are contending for the NBA title.Even when the Pistons have been on the wrong side of the scoreboard, their penchant for playing hard has not gone overlooked by opponents.“I mean, they’ve been playing solid the last two weeks, though,” after the Brooklyn Nets notched a 7-point win over the Pistons on March 29. “We don’t look at teams like that. I know their record isn’t good, but they still got pros over there. … I could see this team being something — a force to be reckoned with in the future.”Part of that force will certainly be Cunningham, against Brooklyn that night and put some finishing touches on the most productive month of his young pro career. The Arlington, Texas, native was overall No. 1 pick since in 1970.&nbsp;Cunningham had a slow start to his NBA career. An ankle injury by four games, and he totaled only . But he notched a double-double in his third game as a pro and started to develop his form as his rookie season progressed. , Cunningham had become the first Pistons rookie with a triple-double since in April 1995.And then came March. Entering the month, Cunningham was tied for 61st among all players in shots attempted from the paint, a far cry from what made him Big 12 Player of the Year in his lone collegiate season. But in March, he found his way to the rim more and more often. The Rookie of the Year candidate ranked fourth among all players in total drives during March, when Cunningham’s 11 20-point games nearly matched his total from October to February combined.Per gameAssistsPoints20-pt gamesTS%Net ratingOctober-February5.116.01349.1%-8.5March7.022.91154.9+5.0Cunningham’s knack for getting into the paint has paid off for his teammates, too. His 118 potential assists created when attacking is the highest single-season mark by any Piston over the last five years. Though Detroit will finish 28th in offensive efficiency this season, the team scored 116.1 points per 100 possessions over its 650 minutes with Cunningham on the court after the All-Star break. Over an entire season, such a figure would be top three in the league.“When you got a 6-7 point guard, I mean, shit, that’s a good start,” . “You know what I mean? Somebody who can wreck a whole defensive gameplan, you know, with his size, his talent, his skill.”Cunningham also grew more comfortable in the clutch as the season progressed. Though Detroit was outscored by 41 points — in a game’s final five minutes with the score within 5 points — Cunningham in the league in clutch-time scoring after the break. And he was joined on the clutch leaderboard by teammate Bey, who’s tied with Luka Dončić and MVP candidate Joel Embiid at 11th.&nbsp;Bey’s second season as a pro saw him step into the role of Detroit’s volume scorer. He became when the Pistons defeated the Orlando Magic on March 17. The Villanova product is comfortable with taking tough shots (team-high 995 contested shot attempts), and he has given Detroit someone who can carry its offense for extended stretches. And he was one of only two players, along with Phoenix’s Mikal Bridges, to start every game this season.Though his as his shots increased, Bey’s true shooting percentage climbed to , offering a glimpse of what could be as Detroit’s spacing improves.Of course, offensive possessions don’t create themselves, you know?&nbsp;Detroit’s defense in the second half of the season thrived off players simply playing hard each possession. These young Pistons have flashed active hands and quick reactions while learning the ropes of disrupting offensive gameplans.Casey has shown great pride in his team’s ability to play “” and growing knack for matching an opponent’s intensity throughout a game. Detroit currently leads the league in guarding direct isolations resulting in a turnover, and the elements are in place for the Pistons to build on such an active approach.Players like Hayes and Stewart have been key to the Pistons’ scrappy and hustle-hard approach. Stewart, who stepped up as the team’s starting center, has been one of the league’s most versatile defenders, allowing Detroit to comfortably switch across multiple positions. He’s one of five centers to have defended at least 100 isolations by guards this season.Once ambitious shooters are near the rim, Stewart poses ample trouble there, too, ranking 10th among 214 qualified defenders in field-goal percentage allowed near the rim. His adaptability allows teammates such as Hayes, who has a , to attack passing lanes, send timely doubles or offer weak-side help.Casey, who led the Toronto Raptors to , believes the seeds being planted will bear promising fruit for Detroit Pistons basketball soon enough. Creating — let alone restoring — a winning culture takes trial and error. Sound draft-day decisions, free-agency moves and coaching hires are just a few key steps on a franchise’s path to contention. Fortunately for Detroit, there are pieces in place worth building around — with .“Like I told the players: Forget win-lose,” . “We want to take that momentum into the summer, take it into the fall to training camp, and let’s bring it back next year, so we know what it feels like.”Check out our latest .James Jackson is a Florida A&amp;M graduate from South Florida. He has covered the NBA since 2014 with stops at ESPN and other platforms. He firmly believes a good baseline fadeaway can solve just about any problem.Filed underYou are now subscribed!Email AddressSign me up

The Detroit Pistons last made the NBA playoffs in 2019, capping Dwane Casey’s first year as head coach. In the years since, the Pistons immersed themselves in : They traded (Blake Griffin) and (Andre Drummond).Now, no one remains from the roster .This season, Detroit will probably finish behind only the Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic for the . But the disappointing finish hasn’t dulled the growing optimism for the franchise’s long-term future. Its young core — led by 2021 top overall pick Cade Cunningham — has provided the promising upside Detroit has sought over the years.Despite their...

Watch Out Next Year For The Young Detroit Pistons

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