Pistons News: Detroit dominates new rookie rankings

The Detroit Pistons’ rebuild has continued this season with mixed results. They have only won seven games, but have seen some improvement from their young players and flashes of stardom from their two rookies.

Building a pipeline of talent through the draft is the best way for sustainable success and the Pistons appear to be doing it, as Cade Cunningham looks like a star and both Killian Hayes and Isaiah Stewart look like solid role players at least. The book is still out on Saddiq Bey as he tries to adjust to a new role off the bench.

The Pistons also have two exciting rookies in Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren who have both looked like future stars at times and have been among the best rookies in the league this season, a great sign for the future in Detroit.

Detroit Pistons in ESPN’s rookie power rankings

ESPN recently released their first rookie power rankings (SUBSCRIPTION) of the season, and the top-10 had plenty of surprises. Here is the first 10 of their list from 1st to 10th:

• Paolo Banchero
• Bennedict Mathurin
• Jaden Ivey
• AJ Griffin
• Dyson Daniels
• Jalen Williams
• Jabari Smith Jr.
• Jalen Duren
• Andre Nembhard
• Walker Kessler

As you can see, this is a far cry from the 2022 NBA Draft order, as guys like Griffin, Williams, Duren, Nembhard and Kessler have all jumped into the top-10. There are also some names conspicuously missing like Keegan Murray, Shaedon Sharpe and Johnny Davis.

You’ll also notice that Detroit is the only team with two players in the top-10, as Ivey (3rd) and Duren (8th) both climbed from their original draft position. This is also much different from the recent Ringer re-draft in which Jaden Ivey plummeted.

For the Detroit Pistons, the real surprise here is Duren, who is the NBA’s youngest player and wasn’t expected to be this good this fast. Here is what Jonathan Givony had to say about Duren:

"“Criticized in the past for his inconsistent energy level, Duren’s motor hasn’t been an issue for the Pistons, and he has shown real promise with his skill level.”"

These are the two things that have stood out for Duren so far. He doesn’t look like the same guy who was flat-footed and lacked effort on the boards in Summer League and the preseason. Once the games got real, Duren turned it on and has been one of the best rookie rebounders, proving his doubters wrong.

But the most impressive part of Duren’s game to me is his ability to pass out of the pick-and-roll. We knew he could dunk and run the floor, but the 19-year-old looks like a guy who is going to evolve into a force in the PnR as a roll man and a passer.

Jaden Ivey has also been up and down this season and is currently mired in a bit of a slump, though he has scored in double digits in the last five games. He’s not all the way in Casey’s doghouse, but his coach (and teammates) definitely haven’t been happy with Ivey’s shot selection of late, something all high-usage rookie guards deal with.

But his explosiveness, surprising defense and ability to set up teammates have put him at or near the top of just about every category for rookies. Here’s what ESPN had to say:

"“Ivey has been a mixed bag as a decision-maker, outside shooter and defender as many anticipated, being up and down from game to game but looking like an All-Star-caliber player when at his best.”"

Ivey is definitely going through a learning curve as a playmaker and with his shot selection, but the flashes we see are a guy who has the potential to be great.

The Detroit Pistons’ season isn’t going exactly to plan, as they aren’t as competitive as they had hoped to be, but their rookies have been very good so far and still have a ton of room to grow and improve, which is a great sign for fans in the Motor City.