Pistons noticeably absent from Ringer's Top 25 under 25

The Detroit Pistons have been building through the draft with mixed and pending results.

The Ringer recently put out their 25 Under 25 list for the NBA, and one might think that, thanks to the sheer amount of top draft picks Detroit has had over the last five years, they would have at least a few players on this list. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case.

Detroit has been in the lottery six of the last eight years. On top of that, they have had four top five draft picks in a row. And yet, there is not much to show based off The Ringers list. There have been plenty of players from said draft classes scattered across the Ringers top 25 list, unfortunately, Detroit had just one representative. That being the face of the franchise, Cade Cunningham.

Noticeably absent were recent top draft picks Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, and Isaiah Stewart. Stewart was named to the All-Rookie second team in 2021, Duren and Ivey in 2023. Seemingly after being named, however, they have hit a wall and have not progressed enough to be considered a top young prospect in the league.

Detroit Pistons: Cade Cunningham the lone representative on The Ringer's top 25 under 25 list

Being the lone representative for Detroit, Cade came in at number 14. He averaged 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 0.9 steals, 50.0 eFG%, over 62 games this season. The Ringer talks about how Cade has done an insane amount to carry this team. While they are weary surrounding his turnovers and inefficiency, they mention his impressive six game run around Christmas time in which he willed Detroit to snap the historic losing streak.

"“The Pistons have put together one of the worst rebuilds in recent memory, so you could easily argue that he’ll be better when a sensible roster is constructed around him. Cunningham carried an absurd burden—the fourth-most pick-and-rolls per game in the NBA, with a 33.1 percent usage—on a roster that lacks additional creators and was tied for fewest made 3s per game in the entire league. I’ve seen soccer riots with better spacing than the Pistons’ half-court offense.” "

- The Ringer on Cade Cunningham

A few names from the Top 25 Under 25 that Detroit essentially passed on included the likes of Tyrese Maxey, Tyrese Haliburton, Jalen Williams, and Desmond Bane. Detroit’s young core even missed out on the Just Missed the Cut list which consisted of Herb Jones, Coby White, Anfernee Simons, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga, Michael Porter Jr., and Tyler Herro. 

Here’s hoping Detroit’s young team makes at least a few more appearances on this list moving forward.