5 PISTONS HOT TAKES FOR THE 23-24’ SEASON
Another season of Pistons basketball is due to be underway shortly and this season for Detroit begins with a huge question mark. Though the Lions may have the attention of Detroit sports currently - this Pistons season seems sure to garner a lot of fanfare as well. The Pistons are entering the fourth year of their “restoration” process under Troy Weaver, and are coming off a seventh straight season with a record below .500. Their off-season began with a lengthy and contentious coaching search concluding with the hiring of recently let-go Phoenix Suns coach, Monty Williams. Williams enters this season as the second highest paid coach in the NBA (only behind Gregg Popovich’s new contract), and with this enormous deal comes a lot of expectations from the front office as well as the fans. The rest of their off season was relatively quiet despite the blockbuster expectations pundits and enthusiasts shared. Armed with two first round picks (5th and 25th) their acquisitions this summer were Ausar Thompson (F/G), Marcus Sasser (G), Joe Harris (G), and Monte Morris (G). Weaver’s approach seemed to be to swing for upside in the draft, and acquire veterans who can play their role to compliment his young core. Though there is no Cam Johnson walking through the door, this season is still a must-watch for any Pistons fan as this will be this core’s biggest test thus far. Whatever happens this season will seriously influence the direction of this franchise moving forward, as soon as the trade deadline.
Taking all of this into consideration, I have cultivated some bold (maybe even unpopular) predictions for this Pistons season I can see coming to fruition.
HOT TAKE 1:
CADE CUNNINGHAM BEGINS GETTING FACE OF THE LEAGUE NODS
To Pistons fans, this might not be a hot take, but to most NBA fans this seems ludicrous. To clarify, the face of the league nods wouldn’t mean he will be the best player in the league or even in the top ten. Face of the league is essentially a marketable star player the NBA can get behind. There has been a nausea-inducing amount of discourse since players like LeBron, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant have begun to age towards the twilight of their primes about what the future of the league looks like. In addition, with the last five NBA MVP awards going to international players, the talks of the NBA lacking an emerging American star to get behind also have become a non-stop point of contention. Ja Morant seemed like a sure-fire hit for the league until he started running around like Pac in 96’ and his 2019 Draft classmate Zion Williamson came into the league primed as the next LeBron and hasn’t seen a full-season of play in his four year career. There is a hole to be filled, and with Cade Cunningham expected to take a third-year leap, the NBA may be able to find their guy. Cunningham, playing injured through his twelve game season in 2022 found himself blossoming into the first-option role he has been expected to dawn since the Pistons won the Draft Lottery in 2021. It is not necessarily a hot take to expect Cade’s averages to look something like 24 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds. The element many haven’t considered is the after-effects of a season like this for Cunningham. Cade is a safe choice for the league, he is reserved on social media, has no problem doing plenty of advertisements (never forget the Cure Auto Insurance commercial), and his playstyle is the archetype for guards coming into the league for years to come. Cade is a proven winner throughout his basketball career leading up to the NBA, and winning is the best marketing a player can have. The Pistons success, his looming contract extension, and his standing in the NBA hierarchy is completely up to Cade Cunningham this season.
HOT TAKE 2:
JALEN DUREN EMERGES AS THE PISTONS SECOND STAR
Jalen Duren is the youngest player on an already young Pistons team, and he’s somehow now going into his second year. Duren was widely seen as a steal in the 2022 NBA Draft, as the Pistons landed him thirteenth overall essentially for Jerami Grant, and by taking on contracts the New York Knicks needed to absolve to land Jalen Brunson. Leading up to his first season, many speculated Duren would start his season in the NBA G-League due to his age and an abundance of big men on the roster. As we all know, this was not the case, and Duren had a significant role on the team from the very first game. The then-eighteen (!!) year-old Duren gained the admiration of Pistons fans quickly on opening night, posterizing Chuma Okeke. From there, Duren continued to impress and by the end of the season, solidified himself as the Pistons big-man of the future. With a year of NBA experience under his belt, Duren now enters this season already ahead of schedule in his developmental timetable. One of the most intriguing aspects of Duren’s game last season were his flashes of playmaking potential. Finding cutters with passes that precisely threaded the needle, and at times Duren found himself throwing lobs to other big men such as James Wiseman. His physicality on the glass, and in the paint makes Duren stand out in comparison to other big men his age. Duren will also have a new pick and roll partner in Cade Cunningham. Cunningham and Duren seemed to have developed dynamic chemistry over the off-season, and Cade is known to thrive with having a pick and roll partner like Duren. These two will benefit from playing with each other, and will speed up both of their development. Duren’s physical tools, feel for the game, and finishing ability will prime him to be the Pistons second star for the future. He won’t be an all-star yet, but after this season NBA fans will see it as a probability rather than a possibility.
HOT TAKE 3:
KILLIAN HAYES DOES NOT MAKE IT PAST PRESEASON AS A DETROIT PISTON
Killian Hayes, the fourth year French PG, is one of the NBA’s most divisive players. There are still those who believe in his ability to produce in the NBA and be a starting level point guard. However, across the league, Hayes is seen as one of Detroit’s biggest recent failures. Killian has lost the optimism and hope of much of the Pistons faithful, and with the Pistons’ off-season moves - his time in Detroit seems to be limited. There is speculation Hayes will have to earn his spot on the roster in training camp against his new competition, namely Monte Morris and Marcus Sasser. I don’t believe this battle is a winnable one for Hayes, though. Truthfully, his best option for success seems to be outside of Detroit, with a fresh start. For a team that has taken on its fair share of restoration projects, the Pistons will have to ship off one of their own for another team to take on. Despite the disappointing start to his career, Killian Hayes has flashed the ability to be a solid role-player at times and may simply need a change of environment. Look for teams such as Chicago, San Antonio, Toronto, Los Angeles (Clippers), and Dallas to try and fill their PG depth issues by taking a chance on Hayes. It’s the unfortunate truth that Hayes’ time in Detroit seems to be coming to an end, and I expect him to be dealt before the season begins.
HOT TAKE 4:
MARCUS SASSER WILL GIVE JADEN IVEY COMPETITION FOR STARTING SG
Alright, so this one’s cheating a little bit but let me explain. Jaden Ivey, in my opinion, was one of the most underrated members of his draft class leading up to the draft and throughout the season. I still believe this, and I do not mean this to be a knock on him in the slightest, moreso that Marcus Sasser might be more NBA ready than people are realizing. It would be silly of me to base this take on his 40 ball in Summer League, this comes from watching a lot of Marcus Sasser tape in the off-season. Sasser’s defensive aggressiveness, matched with his offensive scoring bag will make him a swiss army knife Monty Williams can unleash on his opponents. This NBA-readiness that I believe Sasser possesses will give Ivey a little more competition for his starting role than he had last season. Truthfully, I don’t believe Sasser takes this spot from Ivey, I just think his presence may motivate Ivey to become better on both sides of the ball sooner than later. Sasser will likely be a bench piece for the Pistons in a similar role to Immanuel Quickley on the Knicks, and will find this role to be something he can thrive in for years to come.
HOT TAKE 5:
THE PISTONS SEE THE POSTSEASON FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2019
Pistons diehards are all very tired of the phrase “internal development” but that really is the key to the Pistons success this season. There is no big free agent or trade acquisition walking through the door at the writing of this piece, and there is no reason to believe there will be by the start of the season. If the Pistons turn their restoration around to a Play-In contender, then it will be because of the pieces already in place. The similarities to the 2018-19 season where the Pistons made their last playoff berth are eerie. A new head coach coming in off his abrupt firing coming off a Coach of the Year award, a star player who hadn’t played a full season the year before but is now coming off their first healthy offseason in years, and a core that is mainly the same barring some around-the-edges additions. A new system for this core to play with, a new voice to lead them, and learning from NBA experience will give this season a fresh feel and their first look at the postseason of the new decade. I believe Detroit takes a leap similar to Oklahoma City last season, and finishes 10th in the Eastern Conference.