For the 4th straight season, the Detroit Pistons have one of the worst records in the league by the holidays. ‘Tis the season!
All jokes aside, most Pistons fans have now accepted that we are in the middle of another rebuilding season, and that’s okay. These are all part of the journey that is Troy Weaver’s “restoration”.
Coming off a win over the Charlotte Hornets, the Pistons do have a couple of things going for them. Killian Hayes is continuing to play great basketball, Jalen Duren is snatching every rebound, and Isaiah Stewart’s jumpshot has some staying power.
To get into the holiday spirit, there are eight items that belong on any fans wishlist. If these eight things happen, the Pistons will have achieved another perfect “competitive-tanking” season.
Detroit Pistons’ holiday wishlist
1. Cade Cunningham successful recovery
The number one priority for the Detroit Pistons this season will be happening behind closed doors – Cade Cunningham’s rehab.
The news was expected, but still hit like a ton of bricks. After consulting with multiple team doctors and specialists, the team has opted to shut Cade down for the rest of the season to repair his injured shin. He is expected to make a full recovery before next season.
Although this is crushing to the high expectations coming into the season, a healthy Cade Cunningham is the only thing that can keep this rebuild on the tracks moving forward.
2. Killian Hayes continues to seize opporunity.
Piggy backing off the Cade injury, Killian Hayes has stepped right into a new role in the starting lineup. He has now started all but eight games he has played this season and has been really flourishing. With huge games against Dallas and Charlotte, Killian has shown that he belongs in this league.
If Killian continues this improved play, he will be a real part of the core moving forward. It might not be resulting in wins just yet, but it is relief for Pistons fans that Killian can now hold his own.
3. Saddiq Bey remains in Detroit.
Saddiq Bey should be a member of the Detroit Pistons for the forseeable future. Despite a real regression this season, Saddiq is still an integral part of this team and the version we are seeing of him right now is not the player he is.
Saddiq sets the culture and he is a big part of the current foundation. He means more to Detroit than he would other teams. Being extension-eligible this summer, many fans think this could be a great time to capitalize on his value. I just don’t see the return being worth cutting ties with a cultural focal point.
Detroit Pistons’ holiday wishlist
4. Clarity at the center position.
The center position, or frontcourt as a whole, needs to be figured out moving forward. Isaiah Stewart has started every game he has played this season, recently starting alongside Jalen Duren. This was the plan all along and provides some insight into why Stewart spent so much time working on his jumper this offseason.
We know that Stewart can’t be our starting center long term and that we need a real lob threat on the floor. For everything that Marvin Bagley III offers on the offensive end, he leaves much to be desired on the other.
My wish is that the Pistons just roll with Jalen Duren at center, giving the 19-year-old all the reps he needs to reach his full potential.
5. Jaden Ivey escapes mini-slump and gets going.
Jaden Ivey came out of the gates this season just as we expected – electric, aggressive, and sometimes sporadic. All part of the plan. What we didn’t plan for was Ivey to come out knocking
down shots at a consistent rate. Unfortunately, that has slowed down.
An injury and a couple rough shooting nights later, Ivey finds himself in the first slump of his young NBA career. Through some bumps and some growing pains, Ivey will learn when to call his own number and when to pick his spots. With the losses piling up and the absence of Cade, Ivey will get plenty of opportunity the last 50 some games this season.
6. Bojan Bogdanovic is only traded for big return.
Bojan Bogdanovic is having the best season of his career. He is the Pistons leading scorer with 21.1 points per game and is shooting 50 percent from the field, 43 percent from three, and 88 percent from the line. He is flat out hooping.
This has caused other teams to start calling. Troy Weaver stole Bogdanovic from Utah and I’d hate to see another team steal him from the Pistons. Detroit has him locked in for another two years. Unless someone offers multiple first round picks or a great pick paired with a quality starter, Bogdanovic should remain a Piston.
Detroit Pistons’ holiday wishlist
7. Lottery luck leads to another number 1 pick.
Alright, bear with me on this one. No one enjoys talking about the lottery year after year, especially when the Pistons had some real expectations this season, but the facts are the facts.
The Detroit Pistons are likely to have top lottery odds again this offseason, but no matter how many games the team loses the highest percentage chance they could have at the number one pick is 14 percent.
Winning the lottery would be like striking gold. Victor Wembanyama is the best prospect the league has seen in almost two decades. Pair him with Cade, Ivey, and the Detroit Pistons’ other young prospects, and they are going to be a problem.
8. 2022-2023 is the last season not in the mix.
Detroit Pistons fans desperately need to wish this one into existence. The fanbase was generally split on expectations coming into this season, but I think we can all agree that we are tired of losing seasons and hoping for next year.
For years, we begged the front office to tear it down so the Pistons could get some real talent in the door. No matter how the next draft goes, the Pistons have will have some real guys and it will be time to start winning games.
Best case scenario for the rest of this season? Cement the final blocks in the foundation and begin to show off a product that this city can be proud of.