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.
Detroit Pistons: Midseason grades for shooting guards
If you would have told me at the beginning of the season that Wayne Ellington would be one of the Pistons’ best trade assets, I would have laughed heartily and asked what you were smoking, but here we are.
Ellington is now shooting over 43 percent from long range on 6.4 attempts, numbers that place him among the best 3-point shooters in the NBA.
He doesn’t do much else, hence the lower grade, but the 33-year-old will likely be moved for some type of asset before the deadline, which is pretty good for a guy who was viewed as roster filler.
Jackson is slowly rebuilding his career in Detroit and is one of the undervalued signings of the offseason that is making Troy Weaver look pretty smart.
Jackson has his issues, namely that he can’t shoot but doesn’t seem to know it, as he is just 29 percent from 3-point range but is still launching 4.4 of them a game.
He brings energy and defensive versatility off the bench and he can score as long as he is not trying to do it from behind the arc.
Jackson needs to get more efficient offensively, as there may not be room for all of his chucking on a team that is actually trying to win, but he has been a good signing, especially for the cost.
I’ve written that Mykhailiuk has probably been the most disappointing Piston this season. He has not shot the ball well from long range and unlike Jackson, doesn’t bring much else to the table.
After looking like he could be the high-volume and accurate 3-point shooter the Pistons need, shooting over 40 percent last season, Svi has fallen off a cliff, shooting just 33 percent from behind the arc.
This is not good, as the Detroit Pistons were hoping he would step up and seize a future roster spot but now have to wonder if he is part of the future plans at all. Mykhailiuk’s second half will be one of the big stories to follow.
Detroit Pistons: Midseason grades for the point guards
Killian Hayes going down with injury is really one of the only bad things that has happened in this season of rebuilding. He only got to play seven games, so it is impossible to guess what his season might have looked like.
He was shaky at times, which you would expect from a rookie point guard who was immediately placed in the starting lineup.
But he also flashed the strength and athleticism that made him a top pick in the first place. It’s too bad we are unlikely to see him this season, as he is the only Pistons’ rookie who didn’t get a chance to show what he can do.
Considering we weren’t even supposed to see Saben Lee this season, it’s hard to resist just giving him an A+ here for being part of the rotation.
Lee has been very solid since taking over an increased role because of injuries to Hayes and Delon Wright, flashing top-tier athleticism and playmaking in the process.
Lee is another one of the guys who is giving fans faith in Troy Weaver, as he has outplayed his draft position and looks like he at least deserves a chance at making next year’s squad as a backup.
We need to see more, but Lee has been one of the best surprises of the season.
Smith Jr. has been okay, but I am not ready to proclaim him the starting point guard of the future just yet, as he still has some major flaws in his game.
He has had some huge dunks but his athleticism seems to have dipped a bit, which could just be the result of so much time on the Knicks’ bench.
He still can’t shoot, though his shooting percentages have ticked up since joining Detroit. Smith Jr. has shown he can contribute with his passing and defense and has probably earned himself a chance to be part of the roster next season.
He’s another “low-risk, high-reward” type player who has paid off for the Pistons, though I still need to see a lot more given his past.
Delon Wright was rolling before he went out with an injury, which is too bad, as the Pistons might have been able to get a nice return for him in a trade at the deadline.
That is still a possibility and if Wright shows he is ready to go, some team will definitely pick up the phone.
Wright falls into the same category as Plumlee, as his contract and production possibly make him more valuable to the Pistons than he might be on the trade market.
If the Detroit Pistons can get a first-round pick with a Delon Wright package, great, but if not, I have no problem giving him a roster spot, as he can play and isn’t making much money.
Detroit Pistons: Midseason grades for the small forwards
What can you say about rookie Saddiq Bey? He is one of the top shooters in his rookie class, is versatile and ruthless on defense and has plus size for the position.
He has already won Eastern Conference Player of the Week, continues to climb the Rookie Ladder and has flashed a post game that could be part of his future arsenal.
If you draft a guy at 19 and he ends up in the top-five in Rookie of the Year voting (which Bey easily could) then that is what is called a “steal.”
Saddiq Bey may not end up being the best player from his draft but he might be the best pick.
The culture change that is happening in Detroit is largely because of the play of Jerami Grant, which has been outstanding since he joined the Pistons.
He was given an expanded role and has made the most of it, finding himself in the top-five of nearly every important category for small forwards and making himself into a frontrunner for Most Improved Player in the NBA.
Even the most optimistic fans could not have predicted Grant would be this good and his ascension has changed the timeline of the Pistons’ rebuild, as he is good enough to carry a team to the playoffs, possibly as soon as next season if things go right.
I am not going to bag on the 20-year-old, as he is still developing and is going to require some patience, but I’d be lying if I said his season was not a bit of a disappointment.
I don’t think anyone expected a major leap from Doumbouya based on the limited evidence from last season but I can’t identify a single area where he has improved.
I would have been happy with incremental improvement from Doumbouya and maybe we will still get it, but he looks worse than last season, which has to be a cause for some concern.
It is still way too early to know what he can be, but it would be nice to see him make some positive strides in the second half so that this season is not a complete write off for his development.
Detroit Pistons: Midseason grades for coach and GM
There is a small but vocal minority of Pistons’ fans who think Dwane Casey should be fired. Huh?
This a guy who is getting the most out of literally every player on the roster not named Doumbouya. Every retread veteran they signed has been better in Detroit, all of the rookies are developing and playing big minutes, and most importantly, this team plays their butts off for their coach.
What more could you want from a guy who is leading a rebuild?
Not to mention the fact that Jerami Grant came to Detroit in part to play for Casey and you have the makings of one of the best coaching jobs in the Eastern Conference this season, regardless of wins and losses.
Dwane Casey is doing what he did in Toronto and hopefully the Pistons can continue to imitate the success they have had up north.
If Troy Weaver had a checklist of goals for the season, he has already checked off most of them:
-Find impact talent in the draft, check
-Sign undervalued players to team-friendly deals, check
-Find talented players who needed a fresh start, check
-Trade Derrick Rose, check
-Get rid of Blake Griffin and miraculously get some cap space in the process, check
You can’t really say enough about what Troy Weaver has done so far, especially considering the mess he took over. He has Pistons’ fans excited for the first time in a LONG time, clearly has an eye for talent and finally has this team rebuilding the right way.
It’s been a good first half as long as you understand the goals of this season and the Detroit Pistons have to be excited about the future.