As the season comes to an end, plenty of people look to hand out grades. However, that rarely truly conveys how the season was for a given player. Expectations are different from team to team and player to player. Context often gets lost when handing out a simple “B-”.
For the Detroit Pistons, the scale was always going to be a little different than the rest of the league. Coming into the year there was hope for a step forward for a young core to maybe push towards the back end of the play-in, something like the seasons had by Oklahoma City and Indiana.
Then, Cade Cunningham went down and everything changed. For each player or group of players, we have defined the goal of season goals in this longer-term framework, with an eye to creating a foundation for the future. In a rebuild, everyone is working towards different ends, making measuring by statistics or wins nearly impossible. Context matters, and often makes all the difference.
However, before getting into the players, I would be remiss if I did not start with the now-former coach.
Dwane Casey
Goal: Continue to develop and foster a Pistons culture
Result: Exceeded
Yes, Dwane Casey just coached the team that posted the worst record in the league by five games. Over the last four seasons, Detroit has won 80 games. Be that as it may, it is tough to look back on the job Casey did negatively.
Were there times when veterans got more minutes than some fans would like? Certainly. But the list of players who showed clear improvement under his watch is notable. Christian Wood put together his best season, resulting in an eight-figure deal (he has since failed to click with any coach). As you’ll see as we continue, many of the players that follow on this list took marked steps forward.
Even more surprising, the culture spearheaded by Casey and general manager Troy Weaver is impressive given the utter lack of consistency due to injury or any sustained level of success. You could tell players were frustrated by losing, but it never boiled over. There were never any reports of discontent or infighting, a rarity for a young rebuild. Everyone seemed to be on the same page and just wanted each other to get better. Casey deserves credit for being that leader.
End of Rotation: Kevin Knox, Jared Rhoden, Stanley Umude, Braxton Key, Buddy Boeheim
Goal: G-League Fill-Ins
Result: N/A
Also known as the back end of the roster, this group just did not play enough to really measure much of anything. Four of the five played under 300 minutes in total. Kevin Knox saw far too many minutes for most early in the season, averaging 14.1 per game over 42 games.
This group of young players is the type of players you have on the back end of the roster. The point is to see if something pops. When so many players missed notable time throughout the season, they should be there to soak up more minutes.
Given that only Knox was able to push into the rotation under the circumstances tells you plenty about where they stand. There was no goal here. These players mostly filled in as G-League call-ups at the end of the bench.
Nerlens Noel
Goal: Serviceable bench big
Result: Missed
Nerlens Noel logged similar minute totals to the previous group but does not have the excuse of being a younger player. After being part of the salary dump alongside Kemba Walker that netted the Pistons the pick that would become Jalen Duren, Noel really never fit with the team.
Noel was thought of as a decent rim protector off the bench who may end up turning into a trade asset at the deadline for a team looking to fortify their front line. Instead, Noel suited up for just 14 games in the Motor City. He only played more than 20 minutes twice and never reached double figures in points or rebounds.
After there were no bites at the deadline, Noel took a buyout and played just three games in Brooklyn. This could be the end of the road for the former lottery pick. He has played just 42 games over the last two years for three different teams. He did not seem exceptionally bought into a mentorship role, either, so the avenues for continued employment may be drying up.
RJ Hampton/Eugene Omoruyi
Goal: Show they belongs in the league
Result: Met
Two young players brought in for the stretch run of the season, both RJ Hampton and Eugene Omoruyi were looking to prove that they deserved a place in the league. Despite their varied paths, Hampton and Omoruyi showed that young players are not necessarily defined by their first steps.
Hampton was a former five-star recruit. He has played for three teams over the last three seasons and continues to show flashes. His 27-point outburst in the last week of the season may have caught some eyes, he reached double figures in eight of his 21 games. Will he be a star? Doubtful, but he could be a solid fourth or fifth guard to provide a scoring spark.
Omoruyi was a little more of a surprise. Two different colleges. Undrafted in the 2021 draft. Four games as a rookie on a two-way contract for the Dallas Mavericks. This season, he was on the Oklahoma City Thunder for 23 games before landing in Detroit.
After two successful 10-day contracts, the Pistons had to keep him for the rest of the season. Eight of his 17 games saw him score 10 or more points. He just looked comfortable. It would not be surprising to see him back on the roster next year.
Cory Joseph/Rodney McGruder/Alec Burks
Goal: Take the next step as a veteran presence
Result: Exceeded
One of the more underrated aspects of a rebuild is finding veterans who are there to help build. They are not worried about their own output at the cost of a younger player. Helping that growth keeps them in the league and could eventually lead to something more.
Cory Joseph has been here for three seasons, often feeling like an extension of his coach on and off the floor. Joseph is a more than suitable backup guard for most situations. With so many young guards on the team, having a leader in the locker room to help them grow in that role is essential.
Rodney McGruder is the consummate professional. There have been stories written about how so many players consider him the dream teammate, most notably from James Edwards III at The Athletic. Having someone like him to be a sounding board for young teammates is how the season was able to not spin into drama like other rebuilds.
Alec Burks had the most on-court impact this season of this trio. Once he was able to return from injury, Burks was a walking bucket. He was the 15th-best 3-point shooter in the league, nailing 41.4 percent of his 4.7 attempts. If the Pistons had made him available, he would have found himself contributing to a real team. Given their desire to push for competency next season, keeping him around makes complete sense.
Cade Cunningham
Goal: Take the next step to stardom
Result: Incomplete
Come back to review Cade Cunningham next season. He only played in 12 games this season before finally addressing a long-standing injury. Averaging 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists while getting accustomed to two new high-usage teammates, however, is plenty of reason for optimism.
Marvin Bagley III
Goal: Live up to the contract
Result: Missed
Plenty was made of the contract given to Marvin Bagley III last off-season. Troy Weaver had long been enamored with the former second-overall pick. After trading for him at the deadline last year, he was always going to be brought back. After signing a three-year $37.5 million, it was important for him to play up to that contract.
This season was not that. Some of it is injuries. Between hand surgery and ankle issues, Bagley was limited to 41 games. However, even when he was in the lineup, consistency remained an issue. He would consistently put up numbers, like his 21-point, 18-rebound performance upon returning to the lineup, but the defense left plenty to be desired.
Given the lack of consistent rhythm, Bagley remains the key front-court prospect most likely to be moved. While a two-big system was the plan under Casey, it remains to be seen if Weaver will want that with his next coach. Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren are unlikely to be displaced by Bagley. Wiseman, acquired at this year’s deadline, stands to get a continued look as well. Bagley has been fine. But is fine worth that price point as the team looks to improve?
Saddiq Bey
Goal: Find your role
Result: Missed, at least in Detroit
Probably the most disappointing Piston of the season, Saddiq Bey came in with lofty of expectations. As a rookie, he was a flamethrower from distance and looked to be a foundational building block. Last season he tried to do more to diversify his game and struggled overall.
This season, it was more of the same. He continued to shoot 34 percent from distance and was inconsistent on defense. His role was compromised by the addition of Bojan Bogdanovic. Isaiah Livers fit the more limited role better while being cheaper.
Bey has found his role more coming off the bench in Atlanta and will remain a what-if for Pistons fans. He was shooting just 24.3 percent from 10 to 16 feet this season, down three percent from a season ago. Since moving to the bench in Atlanta, that is up to 42.9 percent while he is shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc.
Being the first first-round pick under Troy Weaver to be moved is an ignominious fate for Bey. Given how hot he was after his rookie season, this is not where anyone saw this going, moved at the deadline to take a chance on James Wiseman. However, by the time it happened, it made far too much sense.
Hamidou Diallo:
Goal: Build toward his next deal
Result: Exceeded
I do not have to go much deeper into this. Two weeks ago I dove deep into Hamidou Diallo. For me, his goal this season was to garner a stronger foothold in the rotation and become an interesting free agent on the market this summer. Coming off his most efficient season finding a role to play should do just that.
Isaiah Livers:
Goal: Become a rotation fixture
Result: Exceeded
Unless you were an avid participant of Pistons Twitter, your expectations for Isaiah Livers were likely not that high coming into the season. After playing just 19 games as a rookie you would have to have been a homer to expect Livers to become something to build upon.
Livers, simply put, made Saddiq Bey expendable. Seeing real minutes saw his efficiency dip some, but he still converted from beyond the arc at a 36.4 percent clip. He continues to profile as one of the better defenders on the team, able to guard two through four reasonably.
This will be essential if the team expects to turn the corner in any way next season. Only Bogdanovic and Burks were more effective floor spacers. The term “3-and-D” is overused but for a team building from the ground up, spacing is essential. For a team in the bottom five in defensive rating, having someone on the roster ready and willing to contribute on that end is required. Livers is a core piece for this franchise going forward.
Bojan Bogdanovic:
Goal: Show he can contribute regardless of the situation
Result: Exceeded
The best player on the team for the largest chunk of the season, Bojan Bogdanovic surprised many. Those outside of the 313 likely figured he would be swapped out before long for draft compensation.
Instead, Detroit signed the veteran to a two-year extension because of how much he embraced the situation. They needed a veteran player who brought it every night that could fit the young core. Bogdanovic does all of that.
Posting the highest usage rate of his career (25.9) led to other career highs, specifically points (21.6) and assists (2.6). Even better, he was still extremely efficient, posting .488/.411/.884 shooting splits. Defense remained an issue, but with a tanking team that is part of the equation anyway. As the team looks to build a defense around the roster Bogdanovic will become even less of a liability.
This was not supposed to be the usage level that Bojan faced this season. He was supposed to be a benefactor of Cunningham, not a usage-level replacement. The fact that he was able to shift into that when his younger teammate went out was a bright spot in a dark season.
James Wiseman:
Goal: Find a role
Result: Met
There was a varied response when Detroit traded for James Wiseman at the trade deadline. Some fans were bummed to see Saddiq Bey go. Others were intrigued by the potential of a former second-overall pick getting a change of scenery and opportunity. Plenty got off their jokes about too many centers. My initial reaction was documented here.
The early returns on Wiseman are mostly positive. Starting 22 of 24 games, Wiseman averaged 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds. He would be among the top 30 offensive rebounders in the league if his number in Detroit was his season-long mark. He even developed decent chemistry with rookie Jalen Duren, promising signs for a team intent on playing two bigs often.
However, the future is still a question mark. This team will likely be looking to get minutes out of Duren, Wiseman, Bagley, and Isaiah Stewart in the paint, if not a potential number-one overall pick if the lottery smiles on Detroit. However, Wiseman showed that he plays well here and is willing to put in the work. Even if a move to the bench is more likely, there is a role for Wiseman here, which is a step forward.
Isaiah Stewart:
Goal: Find his shot without losing other skills –
Result: Met
There have been whispers for a while that Isaiah Stewart could be a floor spacer. Given the changes to the roster, he would have to be. As a rookie, he played 100 percent of his minutes at center, followed by 98 percent in his second season. Any sort of change to playing with another big would be an adjustment. Furthermore, it would risk diminishing what he brings to the team.
Luckily, this concern was mostly assuaged. Splitting time between forward and center nearly evenly, Stewart was able to develop in what was a lost season for the franchise he played for. Part of this saw him attempt nearly double the 3-point attempts that he had taken over the combined first two seasons of his career. While his 32.7 percent conversion rate was below the league average, it is also somewhat misleading.
He shot 36.6 percent from deep in the 2022 portion of the season, making the believers salivate. January saw him limited to nine games due to injury, and he shot just 11.5 percent. Despite making a third of his attempts in February, injuries ruined this mark.
Stewart still showed enough to prove that this was something that could work. He and Duren make for a menacing paint presence, overflowing with muscle and verve. If he can continue to defend like a bulldog and space the floor just a bit, the ceiling is higher than some may imagine.
Jalen Duren:
Goal: Earn real minutes, flash starter signs
Result: Exceeded
It is truly hard to remember that, at the beginning of the year, plenty were unsure if Duren would be able to force his way into the rotation. As the youngest player in the league, there were reasons to think he may start in the G-League.
Instead, Duren looks to be a likely bet to make second-team All-Rookie. He was the best rebounder (8.9) among rookies and a top-five offensive rebounder (3.4) in the league overall. Also, he shot the eighth-best field goal percentage (64.8) in the league among players taking at least five shots per game.
Duren is offensively ahead of schedule. Mostly this is due to his game essentially being rim running, post-ups, and lobs. The defense needs work, but again, he is only 19. He missed the team’s primary playmaker for all but the first nine games of his career.
This is a prime example of why expectations matter for grading. For many players averaging 9.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in 24 minutes per game would be a shrug. When it is the league’s youngest player who came in expected to be the third or fourth big on the team, the success is clear.
Killian Hayes:
Goal: Locate the vicinity of his shot
Result: Met (kind of)
Inconsistency will forever remain the issue with Killian Hayes. Defense and passing came into the season as known skills. For him to prove that he was an actual NBA player worth investing time and money into, let alone a team that has Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and the potential of drafting Amen Thompson or Scoot Henderson, he had to find his shot.
Hayes was top 25 (6.2) in assists and steals (1.4). He also shot just 37.8 percent from the field and 28.0 percent from beyond the arc. Frustratingly, there were stretches where promise was shown. From November to the NBA Paris game, Hayes shot 35.7 percent on 4.0 3-point attempts per game. That is more than a third of the season. It looked like he had finally put it together.
The after-Paris stretch was truly ruinous. Over the last 32 games, Hayes shot 21.1 percent beyond the arc. Yes, he posted the first consecutive 20-point games in his career to end the season, including a career-high 28-point outing.
Hayes is up for a contract extension this offseason. If that hot stretch had continued throughout the year, that would have been a likely possibility. Now, it would be irresponsible for the Pistons to not play this out into next year’s restricted free agency.
Jaden Ivey:
Goal: Be one of the top five rookies
Result: Met
This goal was pretty easily defined by his draft position. Jaden Ivey was taken fifth overall in the 2022 draft, so the hope was that one year in he would still be ranked around that level. There were up and downs as expected, but overall the early returns are impressive.
Ivey finished third among rookies in scoring (16.3), first in assists (5.2), and third amongst guards in rebounding (3.9). After the All-Star break, he improved to 19.3 points, 7.1 assists, and 3.7 rebounds while drilling 36.4 percent of his 3s.
The absence of Cade Cunningham, while brutal for most of the roster, may have been the best thing for Ivey’s development as a rookie. He was able to see significant on-ball reps early and often. He spent time sharing the court with other guards, allowing him to see the game differently. With Cunningham coming back, he will be sharing the court with a different player than he saw after the first 12 games.
As someone who was unsure of the fit coming in, consider this my mea culpa. Ivey proved he can play on- or off-ball. Cunningham showed that last season. The duo will be one of the most dynamic backcourts in the league in short order. Kudos to the Pistons for being able to boast that.
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