The Detroit Pistons are mired in their third-straight awful season but there is hope on the horizon.
They definitely have future pieces in Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey, key role players like Isaiah Stewart, Hamidou Diallo and Frank Jackson, the possibility of another top NBA Draft pick on the way and copious amounts of cap space.
Add that to veterans Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk (if they are both still on the team next season) and you have the beginning of something.
The Cavaliers were in this same position last season, as winners of just 22 games but having some solid pieces and a future top-2 draft pick.
The Cavaliers have already won 35 games this season, are the NBA’s most surprising teams and are on their way to the playoffs in a current tie for the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference.
So how can the Detroit Pistons follow in their footsteps and go from cellar dweller to the playoffs? It won’t be easy, but not impossible either.
Step 1: The Detroit Pistons need to nail the NBA Draft
The Pistons got their star to build around last offseason when they drafted Cade Cunningham number one overall. He looks like a player they can build around and still has a chance at Rookie of the Year with a strong finish.
Like the current Pistons, last seasons’ Cavaliers already had some good young talent in guys like Darius Garland, Collin Sexton and Isaac Okoro and were able to supplement it with number two pick Evan Mobley.
Mobley was the perfect fit for what the Cavs needed and already had, so if the Pistons want to make a similar leap, they need to nail this draft by getting the perfect complement for Cunningham, Bey and Isaiah Stewart.
That could be a rim protecting big like Chet Holmgren, a stretch four like Jabari Smith, an all-around forward like Paolo Banchero, or even one of the guards or mystery men from the 2022 NBA Draft.
Whoever it is, the Detroit Pistons are going to need a rookie who can make an impact right away, like Mobley has for the Cavaliers.
Step 2: The Detroit Pistons need growth from their young players
One of the biggest reasons the Cavaliers were able to improve so much this season is that they got growth from their young guys.
Darius Garland was already very good but has blossomed into an All-Star this season. Ditto for Jarrett Allen, who went from role player to All-Star after being traded to the Cavaliers.
Garland and Allen are pretty much the same age as Bey and Stewart, who both need to improve if the Pistons want to make a leap. Bey needs to develop a more-consistent go-to move on offense, while Stewart needs to improve his jump shot and get better in the pick-and-roll.
The Pistons will also need further development and consistency from Cade Cunningham, for Frank Jackson to get his shooting back on track and for Hamidou Diallo to carve out a consistent role.
Step 3: The veterans need to mesh with the young players
Another reason Cleveland has made such improvement this season is that they’ve gotten more out of their veterans.
Kevin Love’s numbers are only marginally better than they were last season, but he has clearly bought-into what they’re building and has already played twice as many games as he did last year.
Before he was injured, veteran point guard Ricky Rubio was key for the Cavs and now they are hope to get similar leadership and production from Rajon Rondo.
If the Pistons don’t end up trading Jerami Grant or Kelly Olynyk in the offseason, they will need them to mesh with the young talent, find their roles and contribute without taking away from the youth, as Love and Rubio did this season for the Cavs.
The Detroit Pistons need an identity
When the Cavaliers added Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, many questioned if a team with two bigs could thrive in the modern NBA.
The answer is yes, particularly if both of them are versatile plus defenders and at least one of them can score, as Mobley has done this season.
The Cavaliers have a clear identity built around defense and currently have the number one scoring defense in the NBA.
What is the Detroit Pistons’ identity?
Detroit was hoping to have a top-10 defense this season but that has not happened. They are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NBA. They can’t shoot. They aren’t particularly athletic and they are too small.
For the Pistons to make a leap, they have to figure out what and who they are. I am certain Troy Weaver has a vision for this team, but right now it is unclear other than they plan on building around Cade and Bey.
With the right draft and free agent acquisitions, the Pistons can find that identity, work with their strengths and make a similar jump in the standings, but it will take some amount of luck and they have to get improvement from the guys they already have.