on October 3, 2022

Detroit Pistons Pre-Season Review: 2022-23

Motor-City basketball has one of the highest upsides currently in the league. Boasting a front court of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, it’s no question this team has potential. Finishing the 2021-2022 season with a 23-59 record, Piston’s General Manager, Troy Weaver knew he had to act fast to set up his promising team for success this off-season. Having a team rebuild for massive amounts of draft capital is common, but doing so while also compiling one of the Eastern Conference’s most well-rounded young core is far from what NBA fans expected. Let’s take a quick look into where the Detroit Pistons stand going into the 2022 pre-season.

Pre-Season Schedule:

Pistons @ Knicks: Oct. 4th

Pistons @ Pelicans: Oct. 7th

Thunder @ Pistons: Oct. 11th.

Grizzlies @ Pistons: Oct. 13th

Roster Changes:

The Pistons made two headlining trades before and during the 2022 NBA Draft. The Jerami Grant trade to Portland for the draft rights to Gabriele Procida, Milwaukee’s 2025 first-round draft pick, and two second-round picks. As well as the oh-so-confusing Jalen Duren draft night trade. Sending over the Buck’s first-round pick, for Kemba Walker and the rights to the 13th pick, Jalen Duren. The pick originally belonged to Charlotte who got their end of the trade in a bundle of draft picks from New York. An effort from the Knicks to maximize cap space to sign Jalen Brunson.

Then, in a separate trade with the Knicks, trading Nikola Radicevic and a 2025 second-round pick for Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks, and two second-round picks (2023 & 2026). Another move from New York to ultimately open up thirty million in cap space.

That trade as well as receiving Bojan Bogdanovic from Utah for Kelly Olynyk and Saben Lee just goes to show the effort put in by the Pistons front office to surround their young guys with veterans and improvements in three-point spacing. These trades may look minor now but may end up going to show the significance of having an all-around solid team with true leadership in the locker room.

Depth Chart:

PG: Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes, Cory Joseph

SG: Jaden Ivey, Alec Burks, Rodney McGruder

SF: Saddiq Bey, Hamidou Diallo, Kevin Knox II

PF: Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Livers, Jalen Duren

C: Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Stewart, Nerlens Noel

Looking Ahead:

Let’s not forget, Saddiq Bey had a fifty-piece in March this year, this team is not done improving. Cade Cunningham came into Media Day claiming to have gained 10-15lbs of muscle this summer. There’s no doubt he could make a second-year jump the way Lamelo Ball did and make an All-Star game.

While the Eastern Conference is looking as strong as ever it’s hard to imagine this team making a strong playoff run so soon however if this team can continue making improvements the way they have been, the Pistons could be the team to beat before we know it.

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