Coming into the preseason, the Detroit Pistons were awash in optimism, as fans hoped they might take the next logical step towards contention.
Cade Cunningham was on the way, and the Pistons had also added Kelly Olynyk to a group that was scrappy the season before even though they only won 20 games.
With just 24 games remaining in the season, that step hasn’t been taken, as Detroit currently has the second-worst record in the NBA and is staring at another bottom three finish.
While this is good for their draft status, it’s not so good for my bold preseason predictions, some of which now look laughable in retrospect.
So let’s take a look back at the things I predicted way back in the offseason when hope was abundant for us naive summer children.
Remember, these were BOLD predictions for a reason, and I stand behind the logic of my takes even though most of them did not pan out. Also remember that these were pre-training camp, so there were lots of things we didn’t know yet.
Let’s take a look at just how wrong I was.
Detroit Pistons: 5 bold preseason takes revisited
Bold prediction #1: The Pistons will make the play-in tournament
Well, this one turned out to be pretty wrong, though I definitely wasn’t confident this was going to happen.
Yesterday, we looked back at some things James Edwards III said in a preseason Q&A we did with him, and he too thought the Detroit Pistons had a shot at the play-in if everything worked out perfectly.
My logic was that Detroit lost 32 games by 10 points or fewer the season before and that the additions of Cunningham and Olynyk would turn some of those close losses into wins.
Instead, Cade got hurt, then Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk and the team never got to build that chemistry. Instead of turning those close losses into wins, the young Pistons turned many of them into blowout losses and will now be lucky to win 20 games for the third straight year.
It’s sad that getting the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference seems like a pipe dream, but given that the Pistons are currently 15 games out of that spot, it pretty much is.
If only I could go back and warn my preseason self.
Detroit Pistons: 5 bold preseason takes revisited
Bold prediction #2: Kelly Olynyk will be in the running for Most Improved Player
Much like the first prediction, this one was pretty much undone by injury, as Olynyk has missed most of the season and never had a chance to make an impact.
My logic was that he thrived on a young team (Houston) before joining the Detroit Pistons, and would have two very good pick-and-roll guards to work with.
I still don’t think this was a bad call, but Olynyk was unable to stay healthy, has only played in 21 games and is putting up some of the worst numbers of his career.
I hope I didn’t jinx him.
Bold prediction #3: Dwane Casey will finish in the top-5 for Coach of the Year
Ummmm, yikes.
This falls squarely into the “what was I thinking?!?” category of predictions.
Although I don’t think coach Casey has been nearly as bad as some fans would have you believe with their daily rants about “rotations!” no coach of a team this bad deserves consideration for anything other than being fired.
Casey was put into an impossible situation this season, as he was handed a very young team that suffered injuries to its only impact veterans, but was somehow expected to win more games than last season when the team had more NBA-ready talent.
I don’t think this season is Casey’s fault, and I do think we’ve seen proper development out of most of the young guys (except Killian), but he won’t be finishing in the top-5 of anything except probably the NBA Draft and lists of “Coaches most likely to be fired this offseason.”
I like Coach Casey and think he’s done an admirable job in a tough situation, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he is not the coach next season.
Detroit Pistons: 5 bold preseason takes revisited
Bold prediction #4: Luka Garza will make the All-Rookie team
Phew! I am on fire here!
This was another take that didn’t hold up, as Garza has not been able to crack the rotation of a team that has won 13 games.
My logic was that he would get plenty of opportunity because of the Pistons’ lack of big man depth, and given 20 minutes a night, I do think he might put up those kinds of numbers.
But Garza is as slow as a house and has real deficiencies on defense even though he has shown an impressive offensive bag at times.
He’s been great in the G-League, but much like Saben Lee, might be one of those tweeners who is too talented for the G-League but not quite at NBA standards.
We shall see how Garza turns out, and it’s still possible he makes a rotation at some point but he won’t be making the All-Rookie team.
Detroit Pistons: 5 bold preseason takes revisited
Bold prediction #5: Cade Cunningham will drop 40 points in a game this season
This one is still pending and I still think it’s something that might happen, as Cunningham was really starting to roll before a hip pointer injury kept him out for five games.
I think we will see him really come on over the last 24 games, and since the Detroit Pistons are out of it, there will be a game or two when Cade is feeling it and Detroit just keeps feeding him shots.
Cunningham already had 34 in a game against the Nuggets but I don’t think we’ve seen the best of his rookie season yet.
As much as he talks about team success, I do think Cunningham believes he’s the best rookie and wants to win the Rookie of the Year award.
Since Detroit has little else to play for, helping him get there will be a team goal, so I stand behind this one and think Cade will drop a 40-spot sometime in these final 24 games.
Preseason predictions rarely pan out, but mine were clearly optimistic and looked more to the best-case scenarios than the worst, which is pretty much what it has been all season for the Detroit Pistons.