Cade’s potential leap to superstardom will determine just how much Detroit levels up
2023-24 in Review
There is not much good to say about Detroit’s 2023-24 campaign. Detroit paid Monty Williams $5.6 million per win (14) during his tenure as coach. THIRTY-ONE players got minutes for the Pistons last year. They lost 68 games, which was highlighted by a 27-game losing streak.
The Pistons had the best odds to win the draft lottery, but since God apparently hates the Pistons, they fell all the way down to fifth in the draft. Mercifully, the slate and the proverbial “house” have been cleaned, and Detroit will look to finally build something sustainable around Cade Cunningham.
Detroit Pistons (over/under 25.5 wins)
Additions: Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., Paul Reed, Coach J.B. Bickerstaff
Drafted: Ron Holland II, Bobi Klintman
Losses: 50-point scorer Malachi Flynn?
New leadership in the front office should make a world of difference in Detroit. Former New Orleans Pelicans executive Trajan Langdon is now President of Basketball Operations. He and his team understood what the team needed and have tried to address it, as Detroit finally has some semblance of shooting. They acquired Mavs legend Tim Hardaway Jr., who Mavs fans will remember as the guy who tied the record (held with Steph Curry and Ray Allen) for most 3 pointers made in an NBA Finals quarter (5). Pistons legend Tobias Harris returns for his second stint with the team, and Malik Beasley is a sneaky good addition. Having a couple of them on court alongside Cade Cunningham will do wonders for their spacing. Paul Reed comes into their big man rotation from Philadelphia. He will help ease some of the load on Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren, who himself averaged a double-double last year (13.8 ppg/11.6 rebs).
New coach J.B. Bickerstaff should help the performance of the team on the floor. He was able to lead Cleveland to the 2nd round of the playoffs last year, something they haven’t done without LeBron James on the roster since the 90’s. Bickerstaff brings a level of organization and professionalism that will be needed to help develop the young core.
Outlook
Detroit’s year will be determined by how much production they get out of their young core. The Pistons will have at least 6 rotation players who start the year 23 years old or younger, and another in guard Marcus Sasser that is 24. Both he and Jaden Ivey (22) were finally given consistent minutes after the halfway point last year, and both showed flashes. It’ll be interesting to see how the minutes shake out with Hardaway Jr. and Beasley being added to the mix.
In the frontcourt, Ausar Thompson (21) is a player who needs more court time to develop offensively in his 2nd year. Rookie forwards Ron Holland and Bobi Klintman both have good size, with both standing over 6’8”. It’ll be no surprise if one or both of them crack the rotation at some point this year. On the backline, Stewart (23) and Duren (20) complement each other well at the 4 & 5 spot. When Detroit goes small, Stewart is a good option at the small ball 5, as he shot 38% from deep in 23-24.
Finally, Cade Cunningham gets forgotten about due to being on some awful teams in Detroit. He was compared to Luka Doncic coming out of Oklahoma State due to his size and passing ability. Like Luka, Cade has struggled with his 3-point shot early in his career. However, he might’ve turned a corner last year, as he shot nearly 36% from 3-point land on 5.4 attempts per game. At 23 years old, he can continue to grow as a shooter and playmaker, much like Luka has. If he does, Cade has the potential to be a top 10 player in the league.
Prediction: Over 25.5 wins
The Pistons need to level up significantly over the next few years to ensure Cade doesn’t start looking elsewhere. For that to happen, it needs to start now by winning games and being a competent organization. I buy the talent and overall organizational upgrades that Detroit has made this offseason. Detroit clearly wanted to add shooting this summer to help the spacing around Cade, and they accomplished that. Bickerstaff is an upgrade over Monty Williams, and he should be able to help develop the young core. With the bottom of the East having multiple teams worried about playing “Capture the Flagg”, Detroit is primed to more than double its win total from last year.
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook & are subject to change.