Preseason is the time of unrestrained optimism, which was the case heading into this season for the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit had just drafted Cade Cunningham, which many fans (myself included) thought would be enough to propel the Pistons near the play-in tournament if everything else broke correctly.
It didn’t.
The Pistons got off to a slow start and end up winning just 23 games overall, though there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about the future.
I made preseason predictions about everything from the MVP to the Rookie of the Year and it’s always fun to see how they compare to reality.
So here’s a look back at my predictions to see if any of them still have a chance of coming true.
NBA Finals prediction: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Utah Jazz
Champion: Milwaukee Bucks
Who I’d pick now: Bucks vs. Suns
Well, this one still has a chance of happening, though I am far less confident about the Jazz than I was before the season started.
It’s interesting that people still seem to be sleeping on Milwaukee, especially since they are finally healthy.
The Jazz dropped to the 5th seed, but the Western Conference is wide open, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they still made the Finals, though I’d consider it a long shot.
I still like the Bucks in the East and to win their second title in as many years but do it over the Phoenix Suns.
Coach of the Year prediction: Nate McMillan-Hawks
Who I’d pick now: Taylor Jenkins
McMillan may be closer to being fired than winning Coach of the Year, an award that was given to Monty Williams, who deserves it.
The Hawks ended up as the 9th seed after making the East Finals last season, so this was was way off.
I would have voted for Taylor Jenkins, as no one expected the Grizzlies to be the two seed in the West this season.
6th Man of the Year: Jordan Clarkson-Utah Jazz, but some Detroit Pistons will be in the mix
Who I’d pick now: Tyler Herro
Ouch.
Jordan Clarkson had another quality season, so that one wasn’t too bad, though he is not going to win 6th Man of the Year. That honor will likely go to Tyler Herro, who made a big leap for the 1st-place Miami Heat.
The biggest whiff was thinking that Frank Jackson might make a run at the award, as he shot just 31 percent from 3-point range and missed significant time with injuries.
There were no Pistons in the mix, sniffing the mix or even in the same house as the mix for 6th Man of the Year.
If they end up re-signing him, Marvin Bagley III will probably be the guy I optimistically whiff on during next year’s preseason.
Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert-Utah Jazz
Who I’d pick now: Rudy Gobert
Marcus Smart or Bam Adebayo will probably win this award, but give me Gobert or Giannis any day.
Most Improved Player: Nickeil Alexander-Walker-New Orleans Pelicans
Who I’d pick now: Darius Garland
This was probably my biggest reach and biggest miss, as Alexander-Walker stunk, got traded and was never heard from again.
Garland was the driving force behind Cleveland’s improvement (along with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley) and made the leap from secondary scorer to All-Star.
This will be a tight one, as I am sure Jordan Poole and Ja Morant will also get votes.
Rookie of the Year: Cade Cunningham-Detroit Pistons
Who I’d pick now: Cade Cunningham
No shock here, as I went the Homer route and chose the number one pick to be the Rookie of the Year.
It doesn’t look like Cade will win, as he had a slow start and voters seem to want to reward Mobley and Scottie Barnes for their team success.
Both Mobley and Barnes were on better teams and were more efficient in lesser roles, so it really comes down to your perspective. Do you take the guy who did more for a bad team or one of the guys who were complementary players on good teams that featured multiple All-Stars?
Cade probably won’t win, but I’d still take him over any rookie in this class and am happy for him to go into the offseason with giant chip on his shoulder.
Most Valuable Player: Giannis Antetokounmpo-Milwaukee Bucks
Who I’d pick now: Giannis Antetokounmpo
I know there are solid arguments for Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, in fact, I think this is one of the most difficult MVP races in years.
In the end, I am sticking with the guy who I think is the best player in the league, which is Giannis. When the stats are this close, I like to go with this measure: Which player would most teams take if they had their choice of the three? I think the answer is Giannis.
I think Jokic will ultimately win and have no problem with it, but give me the Greek Freak all day.