Detroit Pistons 2022/2023 Season Preview
A 23-59 record last season seems, on paper, to be a reason to avoid Detroit basketball for another year, but Detroit has been slowly changing things behind the scenes and appears to have a bright future heading into the 2022/2023 season.
Personnel changes include the addition of draft picks Jaden Ivey (#5) and Jalen Duren (#13), who both loom as potential impact players in their rookie season as the Pistons continue their movement towards youth and the future. The franchise also acquired a host of New York Knicks in a trade in July, including Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks and Kemba Walker, all of whom can provide spot minutes and veteran leadership to a young core. Jerami Grant was moved on to Portland, but the time seems right to make a larger role for Saddiq Bey to step into. Recent trade acquisition Bojan Bogdanovich will also help cover the loss of Grant, and (hopefully for Pistons fans) do it far more efficiently, too.
Round out notable acquisitions with former lottery pick Kevin Knox, whose minutes were dropped in each of his first four seasons in the league at the Knicks, and the Pistons have a balance of youth and veterans to go forward with.
Cade Cunningham showed glimpses of his potential last season, and will want to build on those performances heading into the 2022/2023 season. Credit: WXYZ
This team is still very much in the rebuilding phase, despite some of the roster moves above. Cade Cunningham will look to take another step after his rookie season saw him elevate his play post All-Star break, while Jaden Ivey will look to help take some ball-handling duties from Cunningham as the pair learn to co-exist.
In the front-court, Isaiah Stewart is still only 21 years old and will be paired with Marvin Bagley III who showed signs last season after being traded from Sacramento. Also still young at just 23 years old, Bagley in particular shows the physical tools to be a great shot-blocker, and will likely benefit from having Noel around to learn from in that department.
Cunningham will again be the centre-piece of this Detroit team this season as they try to build on incremental improvements from last season. The foundation looks solid with Ivey, Stewart, Bey, Bagley and Duren joining Cunningham as the future of the franchise, but this is another rebuilding season for the team and their record will likely show that.
Ceiling: 11th seed.
Floor: 13th seed.