And a place of nibbled in the classification, one! Dead last in the Eastern Conference last season, the Pistons managed the feat of jumping to 14th place. It’s awesome. At this rate, they will return to the Top 8 by 2028. But no, we are sleeping, of course the balance sheet « Process » is quite satisfying with excellent scores for youth. We promise you, it was worth the detour.
WHAT TRASHTALK HAD ANNOUNCED
Two unanimous colleagues and Pistons who almost respected what we had said, with only two successes more than the 21 victories announced. Boarf, this team from Detroit was not the most difficult to predict, and despite the still tangible balance sheet, the youth of Michigan made us extremely happy. We dissect that below.
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
An attraction and his high school friends. This sentence alone sums up our state of mind at the dawn of this 2021-22 season. What else to expect from the Pistons if not for the newborns to crack their shells? No need to talk about play-ins, the Pistons don’t hang out with those people, but hopefully Dwane Casey’s squad will be one of the ones that every year uses one of the dedicated tanking spots with the farm. intention to produce joga bonito. Leaves to crack the 25 victories eh, but just so as not to leave everything to mediocrity. And for the little patriotic touch, of course, we expect a great season from Killian Hayes, he who missed forty games on his rookie exercise because of a hip tear. It’s not time to take off yet, just to fit out the cockpit.
Each year, two or three teams take our predictions on the wrong foot. Beautiful surprises from which emerge players that we did not expect at all. This is also how they begin a reconstruction much faster than the average, by cracking the doors of the Top 10, then those of the Top 8, and a few seasons later it explodes in the upper echelons. In short, all that to say that the Pistons were not part of these surprise teams by starting the 2021-22 fiscal year with a series of four consecutive losses. Saddiq Bey and Jerami Grant are great but struggle to make people forget a backcourt Cade Cunningham – Killian Hayes still too shy. On the other hand, we have our show! On November 21, in full reception of the Lakers, Isaiah Stewart received an elbow from LeBron James in the face. The following ? The young interior unbolts at any time, Russell Westbrook holds guard of the year and the shadow of Malice at the Palace hangs over Little Caesars Arena. Incidentally, this game ends in defeat, the second in a series of fourteen that plunges Detroit into the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
The All Star Break? The opportunity for Isaiah Stewart, Saddiq Bey and Cade Cunningham to have fun at the Rising Star Challenge. The first pick 2021 wins the kids’ match with Team Barry – team of legend Rick Barry – and builds confidence for the rest of the season. He is still in the rearview mirrors of Scottie Barnes, Evan Mobley and Franz Wagner for the Rookie of the Year trophy, but will grill the German by posing a very high level March. And guess what? His success inspired Killian Hayes who also began to perform. The Pistons seduce and even snatch a few victories from big teams (Boston, Cleveland and Philly, among others). But be careful, do not exceed the objectives set. Boys like Saddiq Bey grow from this regular, but the record must remain below 25 wins. A new prospect in the summer? Nobody says no.
THE ROCKET SEASON IN A FEW ARTICLES
- Preview of the Detroit Pistons 2021-22: a great attraction and a French leader, enough for the hype and that’s already not bad
- The Pistons have won their first game in over a month: no record of shame against the Heat, believe in your dreams!
- Saddiq Bey is on fire: 34 points on the head of the Bucks, 25 points average over the last 9 games, it’s not Saddiq Bey it’s Sadique Bae
- Magical Saddiq Bey against the Magic: 51 points, 17/27 in shooting, 10 3-point baskets, you were told to get up tonight
- The Pistons lose in Brooklyn but the youth advance: 34 points from Cade Cunningham, new performance from Killian Hayes, can’t wait for the start of the school year
- For Dwane Casey, Cade Cunningham is the Rookie of the Year: “There is not even a debate when it comes to talent”
- Killian Hayes sends his best career performance: 26 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals, the dragster does not stop
IMAGE OF THE SEASON
A piece of mash in the hair and a performance at 51 points, the 5th largest in franchise history. It’s super symbolic for Saddiq Bey, this 23-year-old strong winger selected as the 19th choice of the 2020 Draft. We did not expect him at this level. His impact straightened Detroit’s entire spine. The Pistons no longer have this morose label, harvested over the last ten years, and now believe in a bright future. This grey, industrial and motorized city is being revitalized by a new generation of basketball players. We love.
THE IMAGE OF THE SEASON ACCORDING TO US
Oh she makes fun of this picture! If Killian did not step-up from a statistical point of view, he would have dropped twelve meters without a good end to the regular season. The month of March of the French? 8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals at 43% shooting including 27% parking. It’s not yet tiptop, but it’s better, and above all much more coherent with the ball in hand. He even recovered his starting position on the last meetings. Hoping he still has it next October.
HE CARDED: CADE CUNNINGHAM
It’s called a diesel. Launched at low speed, Cade Cunningham waited for the second half of the season to justify his status as first pick. In March, he sent averages of 22.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 7 assists and 1.4 interceptions at 48% shooting including 32% from 3-pointers. A fabulous statistical line which exercised over a whole season, would have quietly earned him the title of Rookie of the Year. But now, Cade is only a 2001 and will be 21 next September. Ball in hand, his serenity is already exceptional and although he is a great scorer, when it comes to deciding between going to the circle or blacking out a friend, Cade rarely makes the wrong choice. He doesn’t seem to think statistically, but rather efficiency. It’s fine.
WE WAITED FOR IT AND STILL WAITING FOR IT: KILLIAN HAYES
But yes, we know, you say to yourself: “They congratulated him a little higher and burned him lower”. Except we can’t settle for a sophomore season at 6.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 interceptions at 38% shooting including 26% from the parking lot. There is something better, especially in decision-making, but we now expect him to step-up with consistency and make a 10-point match a simple “one more day at work”. He needs to keep that appetite for caviar and keep developing his one-on-one game. That’s it for the coach’s advice. Even if we could have put a Kelly Olynyk in his place, it is – in our eyes – more important that Kiki progress.
THE FOLLOWING
What happens when you add a prospect to a group of prospects? An even bigger group of prospects. With a 52.1% chance of getting a Top 4 lottery pick and a 14% chance of topping the first pick, Detroit can look forward to a more… competitive next season. We do not know if they will play anything, but the ambitions of Dwane Casey’s group will undoubtedly be conditioned by the lottery on May 17. Hoping it doesn’t go looking for a name that pushes Killian Hayes far into the rotation. The ideal being a position 3 (hello AJ Griffin).
Like the Rockets, the Pistons pulled off their back-to-back of shame but with a smile. It is now a question of progressing by considering playing the good part of the table.