3 takeaways from Detroit Pistons win over the Toronto Raptors
The Detroit Pistons starting five starting to gel
The starting lineup of Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes, Saddiq Bey, Hamidou Diallo and Isaiah Stewart have now played nine games together and have logged the second-most minutes of any five-man group.
Though they still have a negative net rating overall (-4.3), this starting five has shown marked improvement over the one that contained veteran Jerami Grant, which had a staggering -17.4 net rating in comparison.
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I am not saying the Pistons are better without Grant, but Saddiq Bey and Hamidou Diallo have found themselves in his absence and there are signs that this group is really starting to gel.
Their offensive rating is nearly seven points better and the defensive rating is down to 105.8 from 112.2, which is a huge jump. That number (if played over a whole season) would be good for the 4th-best defensive rating in the NBA.
The young starting five is playing with better pace, and their effective shooting percentage is eight points better.
We obviously need more of a sample size to make any sweeping conclusions, but it has been great to watch the Pistons young guys step up and they are really starting to figure it out.