There is a ton of excitement around the Detroit Pistons this season. Although they are not expected to become a playoff team yet, they possess a young core worth keeping an eye on.
Cade Cuningham, Jaden Ivey, Saddiq Bey, Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart highlight the young core Detroit will take into the season. Marvin Bagley III will look to prove himself further while Kevin Knox and Killian Hayes will try to show significant improvement and establish themselves as part of the future in Detroit.
The Pistons are once again entering a season with a focus on player development. After seeing progress in 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 still months away, here are three bold Pistons predictions.
Pistons 2022-23 Bold Predictions
3. The Pistons got rid of all of their key veterans by New Year’s Day
Detroit made two trades with the New York Knicks to facilitate a camp dump this offseason, giving them Kemba Walker, Nerlens Noel and Alec Burks. Along with Kelly Olynyk, the Pistons have a collection of veterans that they can (and probably will) trade away soon.
Walker was already bought out of his contract while the other three remained. Burks should be a solid trade candidate as a fairly cheap scorer 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 fetch a sizable return.
The Pistons were steadfast about not trading Jerami Grant at the trade deadline only to ship him off during the offseason. They netted a future first-round pick in the trade with the Portland Trail Blazers. It’s clear that they know how to ship off their veterans in the name of adding future assets. They should be ready to talk turkey with playoff contenders that need depth at center or a solid scorer off the bench.
Olynyk, Burks and Noel all have some trade value. Detroit may look to ship them off right away since they have such a solid collection of young players at numerous positions.
2. Cade Cunningham becomes a triple-double machine
Cunningham was one of 20 players to have multiple triple-doubles last season, collecting just a pair of them. In his second season, he should have no problem making his way to the top of the leader board.
In 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 an all-around game. He has the smarts to be a high-level playmaker and the size to fight for boards. His scoring was not very efficient but he still got buckets.
Cunningham bumped up his production each month of the season. Over 14 games in March, he averaged 22.9 points, 7.0 assists and 5.9 rebounds. If he can maintain production like this over the course of a full season, he should have numerous chances to stuff the stat sheet.
Jumbo-sized guards like Cunningham were tailor-made to rack up triple-doubles. Now that the Pistons’ future star has some experience, he should be dominant going forward.
1. Jaden Ivey finishes top three in Rookie of the Year voting
The competition for Rookie of the Year will be fairly stiff this season. Ivey, the fifth overall pick, will be one of the players competing for the award.
Ivey is one of the best players in the draft class. His ability to score at a strong level will hinge heavily on his ability to shoot. Even if he doesn’t get it going from deep, his ball handling and explosiveness will make him tough to guard. If he can be a decent playmaker and defender, he will really be a pain to gameplan for.
Not only does Ivey have the talent to be in contention but also has a solid team around him. With Cunningham as a playmaker, Bey as a floor-spacer and Duren and Stewart as screeners/lob catchers, he will have plenty of talent around him to help. 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 contend with, 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 NBA-ready. Winning the award will be a challenge, but the Purdue standout should be one of the favorites to take the hardware home.
