Detroit Pistons: Ranking the Eastern Conference backcourts

Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) with Killian Hayes (7) Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) with Killian Hayes (7) Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Scottie Barnes #4 of the Toronto Raptors defends as Cade Cunningham #2 of the Detroit Pistons. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) /

Detroit Pistons: Eastern Conference backcourt rankings

#11: Toronto Raptors

Fred VanVleet strangely emerged as a franchise player after Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard skipped town. Good for him. And Gary Trent is a solid shooting guard, but neither of them are superstars. In order to crack the top ten, you need to be a star.

Moving forward, the Raptors will be led by Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam, with a good supporting cast in the backcourt, but I’m afraid that’s all they are.

#10: Milwaukee Bucks

How is a championship team relegated to the tenth spot? Kris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and the Greek Freak are what make them great. Jrue Holiday absolutely embarrassed Devin Booker in the Finals, but he is a below average offensive talent. His defense is great, but Grayson Allen does not help the Buck’s case.

Allen is a decent defender and excellent shooter, but he should not be the starting shooting guard on a team this good. Why they don’t have anyone better is beyond me. The Bucks are one of the rare teams that are totally led by the frontcourt, which keeps them low on this list.

#9: Brooklyn Nets

For the sake of the list, I’ll assume Kyrie Irving plays in Brooklyn next season. He and Seth Curry are a really good offensive backcourt, but there isn’t much defensive talent at all. Both are offensive weapons and deadly shooters, but they face the same issue as the Wizards.

I think Irving is better than Beal, and I know Curry is better than Morris. After such a disappointing season in 2022, it’s hard to rank them any higher than they are, although I wouldn’t be shocked if they return back to normal next year.