Studs and duds: Pistons grades for the first 4 games
After suffering through a 28-game losing streak last season and ending with the worst record in team history, the last thing the Detroit Pistons wanted was to start this season with four straight losses, but here we are.
The good news is that they have been competitive in all of them, the bad news is that is something you say about the kid you stick in right field because he often takes off his glove to pick his nose.
There have been positives, but also more of the same, as the Pistons continue to make the same mistakes and have the same problems even though they have several new faces on the roster.
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You can’t overreact too much to these first four games. I predicted the Pistons would start 0-6 this season, which was a no-brainer given the competition. If you told me before the season that the Pistons would lose to the Pacers, Cavaliers, Celtics, Heat, 76ers and Knicks, I would have said, “yes, of course,” but it becomes amplified in the beginning of the season when the team has yet to bank a win.
I’m going to give this some time before I overreact, but here are the grades for the standouts in the first four games, both good and bad.
Stud: Cade Cunningham
Ok, so Cade hasn’t been perfect and no one is arguing that he has been. He has to find a way to be more effective in the 4th quarter and until he does that, he can’t be considered a superstar.
At some point, the best players win a game for their team in the 4th and Cade hasn’t done that. But he’s done pretty much everything else.
He’s averaging 27 points per game through the first four with 7.5 assists, six rebounds, a steal and 1.3 blocks. Yes, he has to limit the turnovers, which have been egregious at times, but let’s face it, Cade is the only thing keeping the Pistons in all of these games.
He’s gone off in all of them and been the best player on the floor for long stretches. But until he starts putting W’s in the win column and hitting shots in the 4th, no one is going to care.
His supporting cast has mostly been garbage as usual and you have to wonder how long this dynamic can go on before something gives. He has to be better, but the 0-4 start is not on Cunningham.