Detroit Pistons: Midseason grades for players, coach and front office

The Detroit Pistons’ season can be summarized in two words: competitive losing.

The Pistons are tanking behind a young team that plays hard and looks to finally have some impact talent to build around.

Jerami Grant has been a revelation in Detroit.

Saddiq Bey is one of the top-five rookies in the NBA and even second-round pick Saben Lee is getting in on the action.

The rebuild is going as planned, as the Pistons are getting strong play from their young guys but still losing enough games to stay in the bottom-3 of the NBA and ensure the best possible odds to land the number one overall pick.

It’s hard to say that a team with 10 wins at All-Star break is doing “well” but this season is going to plan and the plan couldn’t be working better. The Pistons are losing but doing it the “right” way while the culture changes before our eyes.

So these grades will reflect the fact that the Detroit Pistons are putting on a masterclass in tanking, which will hopefully pay off in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Here are the grades for each player at midseason.

Detroit Pistons: Grades for power forwards and centers

Let’s start with the bigs, where the Pistons have gotten great contributions from a rookie and a retread who now looks like one of the best value signings of the offseason.

Isaiah “Beef Stew” Stewart is one of the draft picks that is making Troy Weaver look good. Stewart has already proven he can be a rotational big based only on defense and rebounding.

He is averaging 5.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and a block per game in only 18.4 minutes. The only real knock on Stewart is that he often gets into foul trouble, but other than that, he has been very solid off the Pistons’ bench and has already become a fan-favorite because of his hustle and physical play.

Stewart is 3rd among all rookies in rebounding and blocks and he could lead them by the end of the season with increased minutes. He has a bit of Ben Wallace vibe, and Pistons’ fans couldn’t be happier with that.

Mason Plumlee has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season, as he is nearly averaging a double-double, has already dropped two triple-doubles and is 3rd in the NBA in assists for centers.

Plumlee looked like a questionable signing for Troy Weaver in the offseason but he has been a smart, versatile player who fits right in with the culture they are trying to build. Plumlee could be a trade asset at the deadline but Detroit may be better off keeping him, as he is on a team-friendly contract that he is definitely outplaying.