NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
One thing we know about young sports teams is that there will be growing pains. The Detroit Pistons are no different as they sit 3-8 early in this NBA season. As the team continues to define roles and learn to play with each other. With key bench players out with injuries, we haven’t seen this team at full strength. The bench has been terrible with the team rankings 29th in bench scoring.
But, by no means is it all doom and gloom for the boys representing the D. The second season of regaining rookie of the year Cade Cunningham is off to a good start. His midrange game and getting teammates good looks is legit and needed nightly. Saddiq Bey fits the city and team to a tee a dude who brings his hard hat every night. Isaiah Stewart is on a path to be a very serviceable stretch big. His work on the boards adds to the mix of the young big 3.
Jayden Ivey and, Jalen Duren already have me excited for their futures. Ivey loves to be aggressive and attack the basket which is a great fit for Cades’ game. With Duren when he is on the floor you can what he could be for this team. He is a threat to pike it on your head off the pick and roll, also gives them a rim protector on the defensive side of the ball. Don’t be surprised if his minutes increase.
The defense has been so bad it has to get better, doesn’t it? Based on stats the worst player in the league is Killian Hayes. Coach Casey and his staff aren’t sending him to the G League so he will have to fight through this and get going. The bench could certainly use his help.
With it looking like Marvin Bagley III will be back in the lineup soon we are almost able to see the whole team intact. A rough 20-game run will tell us a lot about this team and season. Bagley will be a big help on the boards and defense. Duane Casey will need to decide if Saddiq Bey stays in the starting five or gets moved to the bench to help the 2nd unit.
Not at all surprised by the start especially when you see how they’ve played. The win over the champs was nice and now with pieces coming back, I look forward to seeing how it all plays out. I’ll be back about game number 25 with another update. No one had expectations for this team to make a playoff run but real progress was something everyone wanted to see. These next 20 games will show us a lot about how far they have come or how far they still have to go. Any sort of change needs to begin and end on the defensive end along with a healthy roster to give them a fighting chance. Make every day game day with some new gear from our partners at the NBA Store.
