This is the Detroit Pistons Mid-Season Report courtesy of Back Sports Page. To say things have not been pleasant for the Pistons in the 2022-23 season is an understatement. The Pistons sported a record of 15-44 at the All-Star Break, at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
Cade Cunningham’s season ended prematurely this year after shin surgery in December. There are still a couple of bright spots on the team however that could bring some positive momentum into the next campaign. For more on our mid-season reports, check out our colleague Anthony Yip’s piece here on the Orlando Magic.
Rookies Prove Intriguing
Rookie guard Jaden Ivey took over the lead role after Cunningham went down for the season. Ivey has put up some solid numbers in his Cunningham’s absence, averaging about 15 ppg, 4.5 apg, and 4 rpg. The Purdue product’s shooting numbers are below league average on the season, but that is normal for a rookie.
Jalen Duren has been playing primarily at the center position as the youngest player in the NBA currently. The 6’10” prospect from Memphis is proving to be a nightly double-double threat, pulling down 10.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg. These two are proving to be noteworthy successes from the Pistons’ 2022 draft class.
Supporting Cast
There are a couple other notable players who are having some decent seasons for the team as well. Free agent acquisition Bojan Bogdanović is an excellent three-point shooter, hitting at a 40.5% clip with a total of 130 triples on the season.
Hamidou Diallo is panning out as a solid slasher, and Alec Burks is averaging 13 ppg off the bench on respectable shooting splits 44.5/43.5/81.1.
The Pistons still have a number of bright spots to build around despite the season likely going down as a wash. There is also the question about potentially tanking for the lottery to continue to shore up their young core. The team recently signed R.J. Hampton, so the youth movement continues in Motown.
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