Detroit Pistons: Optimistic player predictions revisited

The best part of this season might have been the offseason, when fans of the Detroit Pistons were full of hope.

Some of it has proven to be misguided, as the Pistons are not competing for the play-in as some of us expected, and are instead staring down the possibility fo the worst season in franchise history.

During the All-Star break, we’ve been looking back at some of our preseason predictions to see how they have turned out so far.

We looked at a preseason Q&A with James Edwards III to see how his predictions for the season held up.

I also (cringing) looked back at some bold predictions I made before the season, which turned out to be bold for a reason, as only one of them really held up.

I also made some preseason predictions about each player. These were best-case-scenario predictions, so I knew some of them were long shots, but some actually did come true (or still might).

Let’s look back at what I optimistically thought about each player and what the reality has been.

Detroit Pistons: Optimistic predictions for the bench veterans revisited

Rodney McGruder

The prediction: No offense to McGruder but the most optimistic prediction is that he rarely plays but offers veteran leadership from the bench. Sorry, Rodney!

The reality: Nailed it! McGruder was actually good when called upon and I can’t complain about what he has given the Detroit Pistons.

Trey Lyles

The prediction: Trey Lyles will hit 40 percent of his 3-point shots and be a weapon for the Pistons as a stretch-five.

The reality: Well, some of this was right. Lyles didn’t hit close to 40 percent from 3-point range (30 percent with Detroit) but he did score in double digits off the bench and was effective at times as the stretch five before being traded as part of a package for Marvin Bagley III.

Cory Joseph

The prediction: Joseph will play well enough to get the Pistons two second-round picks at the trade deadline.

The reality: Joseph has been better than expected, played his way into the starting lineup and has shot 43 percent from 3-point range this season. If the Detroit Pistons had wanted to trade him at the deadline for two second-round picks, they probably could have. In fact, he might have outplayed his player option for next season and could decline it looking for a bigger deal.

So far these were pretty good if I do say so myself. The next group? Not so much.