There’s a ton of excitement surrounding the Detroit Pistons this season. Although they are not yet expected to become a playoff team, they do have a young core that is worth watching.
Cade Cuningham, Jaden Ivey, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart highlight the young core Detroit will take on in the season. Marvin Bagley III will look to prove himself while Kevin Knox and Killian Hayes will try to show significant improvement and establish themselves as part of Detroit’s future.
The Pistons are once again entering a season focused on player development. After seeing progress from so many key players last season, the 2022-23 squad is worth watching and could be an exciting team. With the 2022-23 NBA season just months away, here are three bold predictions from the Pistons.
Pistons 2022-23 Bold Predictions
3. Pistons get rid of all key veterans by New Year’s Day
Detroit made two trades with the New York Knicks to facilitate a side dump this offseason, giving them Kemba Walker, Nerlens Noel and Alec Burks. With Kelly Olynyk, the Pistons have a collection of veterans they can (and likely) trade soon.
Walker has already been bought out of his contract while the other three remain. Burks should be a strong trade candidate as a fairly cheap goalscorer off the bench with a team option on his contract for next season. Noel and Olynyk should have value in the central market, although they may not yield a sizable return.
The Pistons were determined not to trade Jerami Grant at the trade deadline only to ship him in the offseason. They landed a future first-round pick in trade with the Portland Trail Blazers. Clearly they know how to ship their veterans in the name of adding future assets. They should be ready to talk turkey with playoff contenders who need depth down the center or a solid scorer off the bench.
Olynyk, Burks and Noel all have some commercial value. Detroit may be looking to ship them right away as they have a strong collection of young players in many positions.
2. Cade Cunningham becomes a triple-double machine
Cunningham was one of 20 players to hit multiple triple-doubles last season, notching just a pair. In his second season, he should have no problem climbing to the top of the standings.
During his rookie season, which he began while nursing an injury, Cunningham averaged 17.4 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game. The 15-5-5 stat line is rare for rookies and signifies a full game. He has the smarts to be a top playmaker and the size to fight for the boards. His scoring wasn’t very effective but he still got buckets.
Cunningham increased his production each month of the season. In 14 games in March, he averaged 22.9 points, 7.0 assists and 5.9 rebounds. If he can sustain production like this over a full season, he should have plenty of chances to fill the stat sheet.
Giant-sized guards like Cunningham were tailor-made to rack up triple-doubles. Now that the future Pistons star has some experience, he should be dominant going forward.
1. Jaden Ivey finishes in the top three in Rookie of the Year voting
The competition for the rookie of the year will be quite tough this season. Ivey, the fifth overall pick, will be one of the players up for the award.
Ivey is one of the best players in the draft class. His ability to score at a high level will heavily depend on his ability to shoot. Even if he doesn’t get him going deep, his ball handling and explosiveness will make him difficult to guard. If he can be a decent playmaker and defender, he will be really difficult to plan.
Not only does Ivey have the talent to be in contention, but he also has a strong team around him. With Cunningham as playmaker, Bey as ground spacer, and Duren and Stewart as lob screeners/catchers, he’ll have plenty of talent around to help him out. Young players need the right supporting cast to thrive and Ivey will have just that.
Players like Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith will be tough to play against as their scoring abilities will be on full display for their new teams. Chet Holmgren’s two-way prowess will make him a contender and Keegan Murray looks set for the NBA. Winning the prize will be a challenge, but the Purdue standout should be one of the favorites to bring home the material.