If NBA Draft night was Christmas in Brooklyn, then August 8 is New Year’s in Vegas. Detroit Pistons fans don’t have to wait long to see the young guns play together for the first time, with the most anticipated draft class for the team of this century.
Many of the players on the roster in Las Vegas will have significant roles in the upcoming season, so it makes sense that the Detroit Pistons have the second best odds to win the summer “championship”. (Portland is the favorite)
It’s not often you see three Summer League participants that may start game one of the regular season (Cunningham, Hayes, Bey), but here we are.
Will we overhype the good, bad and ugly that we see during the next few weeks? Of course.
The Pistons will not a full complement of its young talent. Isaiah Stewart, Isaiah Livers and Chris Smith are all having to sit out due to injuries.
Summer League action for most teams is an extension of the talent evaluation process, and the Pistons will be able to take some useful notes into the regular season. As one of the youngest rosters in the NBA, three rookies have a chance to prove they deserve a spot on the roster (well three need to prove it, one pretty sure has a spot locked up).
The speculation period of the prospects will come to an end as they actually get to play games wearing Pistons uniforms, so it’s time for one last way to project the newest members of the team.
What better way to project the Detroit Pistons draft choices, than throwing out some way-too specific comparisons of what they may become:
1. Cade Cunningham – less explosive, better passing Jayson Tatum
The Pistons got their ultimate building block, and now the focus will be on how they will build around him. Cunningham stands out in many ways, and there’s very little doubt on his potential influence in pushing the franchise to a level not seen in a while.
In terms of skillset, it’s hard to find a guy who is more refined at his age than Cunningham. He’ll step on the court immediately as one of the more polished players on the roster, and has an innate ability to control the offensive pace.
Many already compare the Oklahoma State star to Luka Dončić, due to his natural scoring ability at all three levels despite the lack of elite athleticism.
While it’s not crazy to think Cunningham can reach Dončić type numbers, I don’t see him reaching the scoring volume that the Mavericks’ star puts up each night. On top of that, Luka seems to be uncomfortable playing off the ball, where as Cunningham can thrive.
I see Cunningham more in the Jayson Tatum mold, due to his ability to be a primary ball handler and play off-ball. Tatum entered the league for the Celtics playing alongside Kyrie Irving but eventually found a running mate in Jaylen Brown. This forced him to learn how to play off the ball and he looks comfortable mostly doing so.
Both players have a similar build, are crafty around the rim, but will often defer to their jump shot (maybe too) often. Tatum has turned into a solid playmaker, where as Cunningham comes in an already elite passer. He may be forced to taking on a much higher playmaking role than Tatum coming in as, strangely, Cunningham probably has more scoring options surrounding him than Tatum