The Detroit Pistons are on the cusp of their third awful season in a row, but there is hope on the horizon.
They finally have a young star to build around in Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey looks like a foundational piece and Isaiah Stewart has improved over the course of the season as well.
The Pistons have some of the pieces teams need to be good, so hopefully this will be the last season when fans are paying more attention to lottery odds than the playoffs.
Troy Weaver has a vision for this team but so far his job has mostly been to get rid of dead weight, gather assets and try to get young talent that could blossom into stars.
He’s cleared the cap sheet, has a couple of young talents, but this is the offseason he’ll be judged on, as it will be the most crucial one in years for the Detroit Pistons.
Another 20-win season next year is unacceptable, so the Pistons need a big offseason to ensure they take the next logical step on their timeline for contention.
The Detroit Pistons need growth from their young stars
Detroit already has a couple of promising young talents, but they still need a lot of improvement if they are going to be the core of a playoff team.
The Pistons will need internal development from these three guys or it might not matter what type of offseason additions they make.
Cade Cunningham
I think Cade has been as good or better than advertised and has shown he can be the guy the Pistons build around.
He is versatile enough to be your leading scorer and facilitator, can play multiple positions and his skill set will allow the Pistons to just add the best players and not worry about fit.
However, he does need to improve in some areas. The first is that he needs to get stronger, which I think will help him improve in two areas.
More lower body strength will help him hit more of the 3-point shots that he is leaving short right now, and more upper body strength will make him stronger with the ball and reduce his turnovers.
Most NBA players put on strength in their first few years in the league and I can’t wait to see Cade next season. Be prepared NBA, because this guy is driven, wants to be great and knows where he needs to improve.
Saddiq Bey
Bey has added nuance to his offensive game, but I think he’ll be even more reliable in the post and mid-range next season when he adds more strength this offseason.
Bey really just needs to get more efficient and consistent, as he has steadily improved since coming into the league and has made himself the Pistons’ second option on offense.
He experimented a lot at the beginning of this season, which has led to a dip in his shooting numbers, but next season he should be able to make the leap in year three, as he’ll be stronger and now knows what he can be as a player.
Isaiah Stewart
A lot of Pistons’ fans do not believe in Beef Stew as a starting NBA center and I can see why. He is very strong but undersized and has little to offer on offense.
I am not as worried, as I do think he has been strong down the stretch, and has shown the defensive concerns aren’t as pronounced as we might have thought.
However, he absolutely must improve his jumper, hands and his ability to work in the pick and roll. Right now Cade and Killian Hayes are leaving a ton of assists on the table because Beef Stew has hands like oven mitts and often fumbles what should be easy dunks after getting slick interior passes from the guards.
I still like his future with the team, but this will be a make or break offseason for Stewart when it comes to his chances to retain his role in the starting lineup. The best bet might be for the Pistons to go with a center by committee approach and find another big who can offset some of Stew’s weaknesses.
This offseason will be of the utmost importance for the Pistons’ internal development, which will ultimately by the key to sustained success.