Detroit Pistons' report card for December 2023

Overall: C-

As was already mentioned, Detroit barely had a better month than in November. They technically won more games in December than November thanks to their win against Toronto on December 30th. Still, both months were historically bad. Almost all players regressed in some way or another for each position group. But, there was one person in each that truly uplifted the group as a whole, giving them all slightly better grades than last month. Cade Cunningham led the guards with his all-star play in December. He, alone, increases the guard’s grade by almost a full letter. 

Adding Bojan Bogdonavic helps the wings out tremendously. Even if he is a liability on the defensive end, he is still playing at an extremely high level at the wing position. It’s not clear how much longer Bogey will be with Detroit, but adding him to this rotation in December was pivotal to the development of guys like Cade and Jaden Ivey. 

Finally, getting Jalen Duren back down low, again, increases the overall score for Detroit’s centers. He isn’t much of a threat away from the basket, but he still impacts each and every possession that he is on the court for. 

A rising tide lifts all boats. And in the month of December, the great play of a few helped this team in so many ways. Let’s hope more can join them throughout January, leading to a few more wins…