The Detroit Pistons are hoping that having players on the All-Rookie team will eventually lead them to sustained success.
So far, it hasn’t, as both Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart made the All-Rookie teams in 2020-21, but Bey has since been traded and Stewart looks more like a solid role player than a future star.
Last year’s All-Rookie first teamer Cade Cunningham missed most of this season, though has looked every bit the future All-Star he was predicted to be when he was in there.
This year the focus was on Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren and the Pistons’ rookies did not disappoint. Ivey steadily improved all season and ended with better shooting numbers than anyone would have predicted (especially from long range) and Duren has already established himself as one of the best young bigs in the game with his rebounding and athleticism.
But the Detroit Pistons were the worst team in the NBA, so it’s fair to ask if their two rookies will be punished when it comes to postseason awards. So far, it looks like the answer might be yes.
Detroit Pistons: Jaden Ivey in the Rookie of the Year voting
Paolo Banchero won Rookie of the Year for the 2022-23 season, which surprised no one, as he has been the clear frontrunner all season.
Here are the top-6 finishers and their total points when the votes were tallied:
- Paolo Banchero (494)
- Jalen Williams (241)
- Walker Kessler (114)
- Bennedict Mathurin (27)
- Keegan Murray (21)
- Jaden Ivey (3)
As you can see, Jaden Ivey finished 6th overall and got just three third-place votes total for Rookie of the Year. This isn’t surprising, as every player ahead of him was on a better team, though Ivey did put up better individual stats than some of them.
The question now is whether the Rookie of the Year voting will give us a preview of the All-Rookie 1st team. If so, it looks as though Ivey is going to be left off.
He’s a lock to make one of the All-Rookie teams, so in the end, it’s not that big a deal, as no one will remember this stuff once the next season starts, but it would be nice for Ivey to be rewarded for his improvement and for putting up numbers without much of a supporting cast.
But I fear he is going to drop to the second team along with teammate Jalen Duren, which will mark the second time in three seasons that he Detroit Pistons have had two players on the All-Rookie team.