The Detroit Pistons just completed the worst season in team history, so when it comes to grades, it would be easy enough to give everyone involved an “F” and say, “see you in summer school.”
But there was some individual growth in a season that saw none from the team, which finished with the worst record in the NBA for the second year in a row.
So here are the grades for each player and head coach Monty Williams.
Stanley Umude: B-
Umude didn’t play much but I thought he was decent when he was in there and probably should have gotten more minutes. He would have if he hadn’t gotten hurt towards the end of the season, but as it stands, he played 24 games, shot 45 percent from 3-point range and earned himself a full-time contract. Umude is attempting to be the first two-way player to make an impact for the Pistons.
Troy Brown Jr: D-
Is “who cares?” a grade? If so, that’s what I would give to Troy Brown Jr who didn’t do anything memorable in 22 games with the Pistons in which he shot 29 percent from the field and was even worse from 3-point range.
Malachi Flynn: C-
Flynn at least gave us one of the high points of the season when he put on a classic small guy performance and dropped 50 points. Other than that, he was mediocre at best.
Evan Fournier: F
A 3-point specialist who shoots 25 percent from 3-point range is a just a guy getting cardio. I’m actually glad he was so bad, as the Detroit Pistons won’t be tempted to pick up his $19 million option...right?.....RIGHT!?
Quentin Grimes: Incomplete
It’s hard to judge Grimes, as he only played six games and was clearly not fully healthy in any of them. He is a wildcard for next season, as he could be a key rotation player if he has a bounce-back year and starts hitting nearly 40 percent of his 3-point shots again. His health probably cost him an extension this summer.
James Wiseman: D
He had a couple of decent weeks to raise his grade from an “F,” but he still lacks fundamental basketball skills on both ends. His screen setting and defense did improve slightly, but he’s just in the way on offense.
Marcus Sasser: C+
Sasser was having a really strong season before he was forced into more minutes and a bigger role and got exposed. Even so, he did finish shooting 37 percent from long range, but didn’t progress much as a playmaker or defender. He at least showed he can get buckets off the bench, but the Pistons whiffed big time when they traded up to get him, as they could have had a younger, better forward like GG Jackson without trading up.
Simone Fontecchio: B
I would have liked Fontecchio to play more than he did, but it didn’t seem like the Detroit Pistons were in any rush to bring him back given that the season was long over. Fontecchio shot nearly 43 percent from 3-point range on over six attempts per game for the Pistons, a skill they desperately needed. He was part of their two best lineups this season and is a better than advertised defender. I dinged him for only playing 16 games, but other than that, he was one of the only bright spots for the Pistons and a guy who will be back.
Isaiah Stewart: C+
I would move Stew into the “B” range if he hadn’t missed so many games. He only ended up playing in 46 between injuries and suspensions. He did show big improvement in his long-range shooting, up to 38 percent in his first full season in the role. He also proved himself to be one of the Pistons’ most important defenders. He’s at least a solid role player and has improved every season, so I am happy with Stew’s progress, just wish he could stay on the floor.
Jaden Ivey: D+
Ivey was arguably the most disappointing Pistons player this season, though it wasn’t all on him, as his head coach jerked him in and out of the lineup and never found him an adequate role. But Ivey didn’t progress in areas he needed to, namely his efficiency, decision making and defense. Heading into year three, we still have no idea what he can be or what role he will play, as he doesn’t have a real strength. I will say this, Ivey hung in there, kept playing hard and didn't mope around even though he had every reason to. He's got the mentality, but the rest needs to catch up.
Jalen Duren: C
Duren made some strides as a passer and rebounder, but did we really see much more from him than we did in his rookie season, or did he just play more minutes? Duren has to improve on the defensive end, or it won’t matter that he’s decent in the pick-and-roll with Cade Cunningham.
Ausar Thompson: B-
Ausar was an “A” though the first part of the season, when he was putting up monster all-around numbers and looked like a lock for the All-Rookie team. But he too was jerked around by his coach and pulled from the starting lineup even though he came into the league as a very good defender and rebounder. He only shot 18 percent from long range, which is an issue, though not as big of one as some people make it, as Thompson is good at everything else. Other than Cade Cunningham, I’d say Thompson has the highest floor and will at least be a very good defender and at most an All Star.
Cade Cunningham: B
Other than games played, we saw everything we needed to see from Cade Cunningham this season. He improved his efficiency and shot the ball better from 3-point range, reduced his turnovers and had a stretch where he was playing at an All-NBA level. But he has to stay on the floor, as he only played 62 games and has still yet to crack the 65-game mark for his career.
Monty Williams: F
It’s hard to say anything went right for Monty in year one as the head coach. His team didn’t win, his young players didn’t improve much, and he was never able to carve out roles for anyone, which may be the most disappointing part of this season, as we still have no idea how these players fit together. He wasted so much time with Killian Hayes (who he saved from being traded before the season) at the expense of Ivey and now Killian isn’t even in the league.
His rotations were horrible, and that’s not just some nebulous fan talk, as he repeatedly used all-bench lineups that were quantifiably bad even though the Pistons had less depth than any team in the league. The good teams don’t even have 12 rotation players, but somehow Monty found ways to keep trotting out bench lineups full of guys who aren’t long for the NBA. It was a failed season all around, from winning to player development and we didn’t even get data for the future.