The Detroit Pistons are one of the worst teams in the NBA but one of the encouraging parts of the season has been the strong play from their rookies.
Both Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart have played tough, inspiring defense this season and Bey has been one of the best rookies in the NBA at shooting the 3-point shot.
The injury to Killian Hayes was definitely disappointing, as the only thing that could make this masterclass in tanking any better is if he too were getting lots of minutes.
With Delon Wright out with injury and Blake Griffin glued to the bench waiting to be bought out or traded, the Pistons’ rookies should get some more run as the season progresses.
Of the rookies who have played enough to judge, all have shown signs of potential, but they still have room to get better.
Here is one thing for each rookie to improve for the rest of this season and over the next offseason.
Detroit Pistons: Rookie Deividas Sirvydis
Deividas Sirvydis has only played one minute this season, so it’s hard to say what he needs to work on from a basketball perspective.
But the 20-year-old definitely has some things to work on physically, as he is 6-foot-8 but weighs just 190 lbs. about the same as me and he is a foot taller.
He desperately needs to put on some size and strength in the offseason if he wants to be able to compete against NBA wings, who are getting bigger and stronger every season.
He has the all-around offensive game to be a player in this league but not if he can’t defend his position because he is too small and weak.
Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes needs to learn to play off the ball
A lot has been made of what Killian Hayes’ ultimate position in the NBA will be, as he has the size and strength to play shooting guard or wing and some question whether he has the speed or athleticism to play the point.
He needs to get healthy first obviously, but I’d love for Hayes to be working on his game off the ball, so the Detroit Pistons can move him around if they end up drafting another point guard in the future.
Hayes has the size and strength to be a plus defender and may have a future as some sort of hybrid guard who plays all over the place and defends multiple spots.
He needs improvement in a lot of areas, and it’s a shame he is not getting big minutes right now to do it.
Detroit Pistons: Saben Lee needs to extend his range
Saben Lee has flashed tantalizing athleticism at the point guard for the Detroit Pistons this season in his limited minutes and had his best game in the most recent loss.
He has hops, there there is no doubt about that, and he has shown an ability to get into the lane and set up teammates with his passing.
But if he can’t shoot, teams are just going to sag off him and make it a lot more difficult for him to penetrate, so even a league average 3-point shot would help his cause considerably.
He should be working all offseason on extending his range to the 3-point line.
Detroit Pistons: Isaiah Stewart needs to stop fouling
Of all the rookies on the Detroit Pistons, Isaiah Stewart is probably the closest to what he will eventually be.
He is already a good defender and rebounder, runs the floor like a gazelle and provides the Pistons with all types of hustle plays, which is exactly what they expected him to do.
He just needs to get better at playing defense without fouling, as he has a hard time staying on the floor due to foul trouble.
He is averaging 2.6 fouls in just over 19 minutes of play, so he needs to be effective and physical without picking up cheap fouls, especially away from the hoop.
Detroit Pistons: Saddiq Bey needs a more diverse array of shots
Saddiq Bey has already won Eastern Conference Player of the Year this season, so he is exceeding expectations, especially for a guy who was the 19th pick in the draft.
He is shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range, has defended all over the floor and is a better playmaker than advertised.
But Bey is only shooting 42 percent from 2-point range, which makes him much easier to guard. He needs to develop a post game, which we have seen at times and get a lot better at pulling up off the dribble.
He is a good enough 3-point shooter that eventually teams are going to start running him off the line. He needs to take advantage by being able to take a couple of dribbles and get a pull-up shot.
The Detroit Pistons have to be happy with what they’ve seen out of their rookies so far, but each of them has at least one thing they need to improve as the season goes on.