The NBA essentially crams a college season’s worth of games into seven weeks. The Pistons played their 27th game of the season on Wednesday, as close to the one-third mark as you can get in whole numbers. Technically, the one-third mark of the 82-game season will come four minutes into Friday’s second quarter at Memphis, but let’s go ahead and say the Pistons are at the one-third pole for the sake of convenience.
NBA seasons almost never unfold the way the blueprint conjures and that is surely the case for the 2022-23 Detroit Pistons. The monkey wrench thrown into their season came less than a month after the Oct. 19 opener when Cade Cunningham was shut down Nov. 11 with left shin soreness that has cost him 15 games and counting.
That left an enormous hole in the lineup – 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists a game worth of productivity.
But go back to the premise that NBA seasons never unfold as envisioned. Coaches and players live by the “next man up” credo. One man’s adversity is another’s opportunity. So if you divide the ledger into debits and assets, the one in bold red is Cunningham’s injury. Though there is no hint that it will cause any drag on the burgeoning superstar’s long-term capabilities, in the moment it’s a blow to a franchise that came into the season with the wind at its back thanks largely to the bristling potential of Cunningham and the four other 21-and-under first-round picks general manager Troy Weaver has procured during his two-year tenure.
Let’s focus on what we can put in black on the other side of the ledger through the season’s first third:
- Isaiah Stewart’s promising transition – Weaver raised eyebrows when he took Stewart with the 16th pick in his first draft, 2020, about 10 spots higher than the consensus for a player scouts admired for his tenacity but questioned for his NBA fit. Weaver was on an island for his belief that Stewart had a future as something beyond a back-to-the-basket big man. And he loved – loved, loved, loved – how Stewart embodied everything he hoped to instill in a team he intended to model on the Bad Boys and Goin’ to Work groups’ ethic. Stewart, who took 109 triples in 131 games through two seasons, has taken 80 and counting in 20 games this season – a healthy 4.0 a game – and is shooting them (.366) at above league average (.355). Last season Stewart proved his defensive worth and versatility. There are more chapters to come with him, the Pistons firmly believe, because of how he goes about his business.
- Killian Hayes’ blossoming – There was a lot of buzz among Pistons staffers and players about Hayes turning a corner over the summer and he showed enough in preseason to validate those claims. Then the regular season started and Hayes seemed paralyzed by indecision and pressed. But about that “adversity/opportunity” equation? Yeah, Hayes has embraced the wider role enabled by the void Cunningham’s injury created. The momentum has been building for a month and has gathered increasing steam. Over his last six games, Hayes has averaged 14.6 points, 7.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals against 1.9 turnovers while shooting .427 overall and .413 from the 3-point line. His defense and playmaking/vision have always been his calling cards and now he’s making significant strides as a multi-level scorer. And Hayes will still be just 21 when his third season ends.
- The rookies are for real – The Pistons were elated – no exaggeration – on draft night to come away with two breathtaking athletes in Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, adding the very ingredient the roster most needed. So far, they’ve exceeded all reasonable expectations. Ivey’s speed and quickness creates a handful of high-percentage scoring chances for himself and teammates every game. He’s still learning the ropes when it comes to finishing some of those chances he creates for himself and when he hones his pull-up arsenal, as Hayes is doing, he’ll be that much more dangerous. Duren’s contributions are even more remarkable considering he turned 19 just two weeks ago. Ivey is third in scoring (15.5), second in assists (4.0) and tied for second in steals (1.1) among rookies. Duren is second in rebounding (6.8), first in offensive rebounding (2.9) and first in dunks (47) despite being ninth in minutes per game. As elated as the Pistons were on draft night with their haul, they feel that much better today.
- Saddiq Bey’s continuing evolution – No getting around the fact Bey’s first third of the season fell a little short of expectations, but it doesn’t alter the belief of anyone in the building about Bey’s place in the franchise’s future. If it’s fair to call Bey’s first third underwhelming , it’s also accurate to say it is almost exclusively about underperforming from the 3-point line, where Bey is at .288 even after Wednesday’s 5 of 10 outing at New Orleans. That would have made Bey fundamentally unplayable as a rookie, but 3-point shooting no longer defines him. He’s taking almost twice as many free throws per 100 possessions as he did as a rookie and Bey is becoming increasingly assertive and effective off the dribble. The Pistons have zero fears Bey won’t round out as an above-average 3-point shooter on high volume. When that happens, he’ll be a fully formed and ultra-versatile weapon whose demeanor is the exemplar of what Weaver and Dwane Casey desire.
- Veterans as ideal complements – Weaver has been up front in refuting common perception that he added veterans Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks to flip for future assets. The Pistons have those five players 21 or younger and five more 24 or younger already in the pipeline and they’ll have another crack at a favorable draft pick next June. Bogdanovic and Burks were acquired because they came on favorable contracts and possessed rare ability as crafty, efficient scorers. Their presence and that rare ability to create their own shots without throwing team offense into stagnancy lends structure to the first and second units. Those scoring anchors allow younger teammates to largely stay in their lanes. The deficit of Burks’ absence didn’t become apparent until he returned and immediately transformed a Pistons bench among the NBA’s bottom five in productivity into one of its top units. Don’t overlook the contributions of Bogdanovic and Burks in creating an environment conducive to player development for the tenderfoots that populate the roster.
- Gold nuggets at a key spot – Every team is combing the world for wings with size who can shoot the 3-pointer. The Pistons used a second-round draft pick to land one, Isaiah Livers, and got another, Kevin Knox, on a bargain free-agent deal. Livers, not expected to miss much more time with a shoulder sprain, has grown into perhaps Casey’s most trusted perimeter defender. Indeed, his injury came as he chased around one of the hundreds of screens Dallas sets each game for Luka Doncic. Casey has used Livers to guard the likes of Trae Young and Donovan Mitchell, as well. Knox, like Hayes, generated a lot of buzz among teammates for his impressive summer. His 3-point stroke is tantalizing, but Knox has also shown promise as a defender, rebounder and transition threat since working his way into the rotation. His ascension has augmented Burks’ presence in elevating the performance of Casey’s second unit.