Breaking down Detroit's biggest problem, best- and worst-case settings, and dream view.
The Big Question: Is Cade Cunningham price building around?
Three years have passed since the original No. 1 nevertheless find Cade Cunningham's job, and we are no closer to answering the question: Is he a basic star? He has shown glimpses of glory. In the 2022 Rookie of the Year election, he came in third place, Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley, respectively. He returned from a knee injury, which cost him all but 12 game of his freshman battle, to average a 23-4-8 per activity last year.
It was encouraging to see Cunningham perform as hard as he did last year, even as his Detroit Pistons lost an NBA-record 28 subsequent game and finished with a bottom-five document for the second straight year.
Those runs yielded a series of jackpot picks, including Cunningham. A failure, Kyle Hayes. Even though the previous head coach did n't trust Jaden Ivey, he might be good. Ausar Thompson shot 18.6 % from deep last season. Ron Holland was considered a approach as the No. 5 overall pick in this year's document.
In principle, Ivey, Thompson and Holland should enhance Cunningham. They are a collection of electronic strength. Ivey could be an incendiary intermediate publisher as Cunningham's backcourt companion. Thompson has been prepared to do anything else, so Holland may be a bucket-getter on the wing. Jalen Duren, the No. Has shown claim at every position with the 13th overall pick in 2022.
In training, none of them is ready to drive the business forward. So the Pistons added Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley over the summertime. Is Cunningham raise the level of play, though, to answer this with a certain degree: They are not the legs of a great team.
Harris, Hardaway and Beasley have all enjoyed successful seasons in the place created by artists. They are able NBA people, something that was in brief order for Detroit next year. At least when Cunningham drives into prospects he does believe that someone is capable of making a photo on his kick-out.
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Cunningham has all the resources. He is a 6-foot-6, 220-pound place watch. He is capable of creating defenses of any kind. He shot 40 % from length in college. And he plays with the intentional speed of a high-usage actor. Simply put, he has n't been an effective offensive hub. But he has always had apologies. Nothing expected him to raise the conglomeration of prospects the back office put around him.
Those mistakes are gone. No one believes that Cunningham may make this team into a playoff danger, but he might. May Cunningham raise some standards with this offense? Is he meet Harris, Hardaway and Beasley at a foundation of mediocrity? Does he give the back office reason to believe that Cunningham will speed the transition and join Ivey, Thompson, and Holland at their level if there is greatness?
The Pistons might as well find out then, since Cunningham's$ 224 million potential deal comes due in July.
Best-case situation
The Pistons are in a catch-22. They owe a top-13 secured get to the Minnesota Timberwolves. This timer's protections began in 2021, they will continue until a ) Detroit is not bad or b ) 2027. But the Pistons have been so awful for so much that they cannot maybe withstand three more years of this, right? Think if the No. 1 get spends the remainder of his rookie deal on a team bound for nothing. The Valves have to be better, cooperatively, and that starts with Cunningham. On the bright side, they may show some improvement, however end with a bottom-13 record and preserve the choose, but at least they will have showed us something.
If everything falls apart
Cunningham is not the answer. Neither is Ivey, Thompson nor Holland. The Pistons emerge from five seasons at the bottom of the standings to the same hellscape they were in before, when they spent a handful of top-10 picks on Greg Monroe, Brandon Knight, Andre Drummond, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Stanley Johnson, only to top out as an eighth seed that could not win a playoff game. Rinse, repeat.
Fantasy spin
Cunningham is one of my favorite picks in the third round this season. If his preseason is any indication of what to expect, fantasy managers are in for a productive year from the fourth-year guard. Cunningham is averaging 14.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists with just two turnovers in 24 minutes this preseason. The stocks and 3s will come, but it's time to board the MotorCade.
In the fifth round of drafts, Duren is a powerful player to target. Before turning 21, he was one of only four NBA players to average at least 13 points and 11 rebounds per game. He'll top the fantasy world in double-doubles, and a rise in stocks will place him in the top 50 this year. Harris continues to be a dull pick in fantasy, but he's still consistent. He finished in the top 65 in 10 consecutive seasons, yet his ADP is 67 — underrated as usual.
Thompson ( illness ) has n't been cleared for contact yet, while Ivey put together one of the best preseasons in the league. That efficiency wo n't hold, but he's certainly worth a late-round flier with a modest ADP of 133. — Dan Titus
2024-25 schedule
Season opener: Oct. 23 vs. Pacers
Complete schedule
Over/under win total: 24.5
Take the under. It's the Pistons.
More season previews
East: Atlanta Hawks • Boston Celtics • Brooklyn Nets • Charlotte Hornets • Chicago Bulls • Cleveland Cavaliers • Detroit Pistons • Indiana Pacers • Miami Heat • Milwaukee Bucks • New York Knicks • Orlando Magic • Philadelphia 76ers • Toronto Raptors • Washington Wizards
West: Dallas Mavericks • Denver Nuggets • Golden State Warriors • Houston Rockets • Los Angeles Clippers • Los Angeles Lakers • Memphis Grizzlies • Minnesota Timberwolves • New Orleans Pelicans • Oklahoma City Thunder • Phoenix Suns • Portland Trail Blazers • Sacramento Kings• San Antonio Spurs • Utah Jazz
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