Detroit expected to improve their record last season in comparison with the previous seasons as they had selected Cade Cunningham with the #1 overall pick. However, their new star got injured in the preseason, missed the first few games of the season, and when he returned, he struggled like most rookies do. When the new year arrived, Detroit was already sunk by a 5-28 record and with no chance of making the playoffs.
The good news is that Cunningham really improved his play during the second half of the season (39.4% FG vs 45.7% FG) and showed flashes that he can be a quality playmaker for the team. The Pistons were the team in the league that improved the most post-All Star break, with Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart established themselves as starters. Detroit seems ready to continue their rebuilding in the following years.
2022/23 Outlook:
Detroit’s poor last season allowed them to draft both Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren. The Pistons are now a very young team with 7 players who are 23 years old or younger. So, their expectations for the new season shouldn’t be very high. However, I don’t think their front office thinks the same as, during this offseason, they traded for Bojan Bogdanovic in exchange for Kelly Olynyk and Saben Lee. This move shows that the Pistons will try to make a push for at least one of the play-in spots for this year’s postseason.
The Pistons were the #3 worst team on offense last season, including being second last in 3pts%. However, Bogdanovic being now with the team is much welcomed news due to their lack of good shooters. The Pistons are also counting on a bounce back season from Saddiq Bey, who after shooting 38.0% 3pts on his rookie season, only managed to shoot 34.6% 3pts last season. Detroit also signed Alec Burks from the Knicks, a player who was one of their best shooters last season (40.4% 3pts), so Detroit really looks improved for this season when it comes to backcourt depth.
Bogdanovic will replace Jerami Grant, who was traded to Portland during the offseason. He’ll be very important in spreading the floor as every single Pistons’ Center (Stewart, Bagley, Noel) lacks shooting range and will be forced to operate near the basket.
Detroit on paper looks to be a much better team than they were last season, but, with so much youth, it will be hard for them to be competitive right for the start. This might prevent them from fighting for their goal of getting the #9/10 spot in the East.