Pistons' dream season vs. the likely reality

The Dream: All of the young players make marked improvement 

For the first dream to come true, it will take clear improvement from all of the Pistons’ young players, including Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and even Ron Holland II. 

In this situation, Cunningham becomes an All-Star with better spacing around him, Thompson improves as a shooter and playmaker while continuing to be lockdown on defense. Jaden Ivey starts knocking down 3-point shots more consistently and develops a go-to shot around the rim while getting more comfortable defensively and Jalen Duren becomes a better defender who blocks a couple of shots per game. 

The Reality: One of these players makes a leap 

It’s unlikely that all of the Pistons’ young players improve at the same time and they may not all be given the same chances to do so. I’d put my money on Ausar Thompson, who already affects the game in myriad ways and is a more efficient offensive game away from being a star. 

I’d bet on Duren making a small leap defensively, as big men tend to take longer to develop on defense. It’s hard for me to envision a scenario in which Jaden Ivey doesn’t stagnate a bit, at least early on. He’s going to have competition for minutes and may not even start right away. If the Pistons are playing well with shooters around Cade, Ivey could be relegated to a bench role. 

Development is not linear, and while I do think all of these guys will at least be productive rotation players in the NBA, it’s not likely for it all to happen in one offseason. 

But what if it does?