Detroit Pistons fantasy basketball season recap

by Zak Hanshew, Rotoworld

At a glance:

Record: 14-68 (15th, East) 

Offensive Rating: 109.0 (27th)

Defensive Rating: 118.0 (25th) 

Net Rating: -9.0 (29th) 

Pace: 100.1 (5th) 

2024 NBA Draft Pick: 5th

The Pistons finished with the worst record in the NBA for the second straight season, going 14-68 after finishing 17-65 in 2022-23. Disappointment isn’t new in the Motor City, however, and Detroit isn’t just in the midst of a two-year slump. It’s been a sad state of affairs for the flailing franchise for many moons, as Detroit owns the worst record in the NBA over the last 15 seasons at a pathetic 427-761. Here’s how the team has finished in each of the last five campaigns:

2023-24: 14-68 record - worst in the NBA

2022-23: 17-65 record - worst in the NBA

2021-22: 23-59 record - third worst in the NBA

2020-21: 20-52 record - second worst in the NBA

2019-20: 20-46 record - fifth worst in the NBA

Despite owning such poor records, the Pistons have picked fifth in each of the last two drafts, and the ping pong balls rolled unfavorably for them yet again. Detroit will pick - you guessed it - fifth in the 2024 NBA Draft.

The team landed the top pick in the 2021 draft, and despite questions about his health and durability, Cade Cunningham looks like a true franchise cornerstone. The jury is still out on Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson, but it’s safe to say that terrible coaching and lack of opportunities held the two players back in 2023-24. They should be studs once they’re allowed to spread their wings.

The glaring question for Detroit is, “What’s next?” The team is projected to have as much as $60 million in available cap space this summer, and it could try to attract notable free agents like DeMar DeRozan, Buddy Hield, Klay Thompson, Tobias Harris and James Harden, among others. The Pistons could also shop the 2024 No. 5 pick to land a star-caliber player or take their chances in the draft for a fourth straight lottery selection. No matter what direction the team chooses, it’s clear that a shakeup is needed.

With so much negativity and disappointment surrounding the Pistons from a real-world NBA perspective, can fantasy managers glean any positive takeaways? Let’s look at Detroit's state of affairs from a fantasy hoops perspective and how managers should treat the team’s young core in 2024-25.

Fantasy Standout: Jalen Duren

After a strong showing in his rookie campaign, Duren was even better in Year 2, casting aside any notions that he would experience a “sophomore slump.” The big man averaged 13.8 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists, which were all career-bests. His shooting fell from 64.8% to 61.9% shooting, but his free-throw percentage took a monster leap from 61.1% to 79.0% while his free-throw attempts marginally increased from 2.3 to 3.0.

Duren finished fifth in the NBA in rebounds, and he ranked 17th in FT% among centers. Duren’s season highlights included three 20/20 games, including a 24/23/5 performance on March 13 against Toronto. Duren appeared in just 61 games due to injuries, but when he was on the court, he was a fantasy stud. Duren finished as fantasy’s 76th-ranked player on a per-game basis, which was the highest of any Pistons player in 2023-24. So long as he can stay healthy, there’s no reason to believe Duren can’t take the next step forward in Year 3. He should compete for the rebounding title, and improvements on defense would do wonders for his fantasy value. He’ll likely be a popular mid-round pick for fantasy managers who pass on elite centers in the early rounds of drafts.

Fantasy Revelation: Ausar Thompson

Thompson was a popular late-round dart-throw in fantasy drafts after a strong preseason, and he proved the fans right. The No. 5 pick started the first 18 games of his career and averaged a refreshing 11.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.6 blocks across 29.8 minutes. After that… Monty Williams struck.

Williams cut Thompson’s minutes to 23.3 and rotated him in and out of the starting lineup for his final 45 games of the campaign, and Thompson’s production understandably suffered. Thompson averaged just 7.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks over his final 45 appearances, and he was a drop in 12-team leagues after such a blistering start. His season-bests were 22 points, 16 rebounds, five blocks and five steals, and he showed just how impactful he can be on both ends of the court. Detroit’s dubious lineup decisions are the only thing standing in the way of Thompson excelling in Year 2, so he’s worth a look in the later rounds of fantasy drafts for another go-around.

Fantasy Disappointment: Cade Cunningham

Cunningham showed a ton of promise in his first NBA campaign, but the highly anticipated follow-up was cut short by a quad injury that cost him all but 12 games of his sophomore campaign. Cunningham came back in Year 3 to average 22.7 points, 7.5 assists, 1.9 triples, 44.9% shooting from the field and 86.9% shooting from the charity stripe - all career highs. Those personal bests came with 4.3 rebounds and 0.9 steals in a season marked once again with injuries. Most disappointingly, Cunningham missed the final seven games of the season and nine of the last 12.

Cade finished 82nd in per-game fantasy value, but he carried a third-to-fourth round ADP. Fantasy managers expected a monstrous campaign, but instead of a monumental step forward, they were treated to incremental amelioration. Can Cunningham stay on the court more often in Year 4? Can he cut down on turnovers and improve his efficiency? Will he ever contribute meaningfully on defense?

It’s easy to point to Cade’s fantasy finish and describe him as a disappointment, but we’re looking at draft value and availability. When on the court, he posted some monstrous stat lines and showed immense promise. If Detroit can bring in some shooters to space the floor, Cunningham should finally find some breathing room on offense, which could lead to positive progress in the scoring and efficiency departments. Better teammates should lead to further development as a playmaker. His ADP is likely to fall heading into Year 4, and Cunningham fits the bill of a “post-hype sleeper” who may come at a discount on draft day.

Fantasy Recaps/Look-Aheads 

Isaiah Stewart: Stewart signed a three-year, $45 million deal in July, 2023, signaling a significant vote of confidence from Detroit’s front office. The Washington product logged a career-best 30.9 minutes per contest, but his production was mostly muted. Stewart moved to power forward and started most of his games alongside Jalen Duren in the frontcourt. Beef Stew averaged a career-low 6.6 rebounds and a career-high 1.5 triples while doing little as a scorer or defender. It’s tough to point to an area in which Stewart excels, and the small-ball big man is a lackluster fantasy option moving forward due to his limited upside in most categories.

Simone Fontecchio: Fontecchio made his way to the Motor City by way of a trade from Utah in exchange for Kevin Knox, the rights to Gabriele Procida and a 2024 second-round draft pick. Fontecchio is a restricted free agent this summer, but it’s tough to imagine the Pistons letting him walk away in free agency. Fontecchio averaged 15.4 points, 4.4 boards and 2.7 triples across 30.3 minutes in 16 appearances with Detroit, and he was a top-100 player in that span. If Fontecchio is indeed back with the Pistons for the 2024-25 season, he should compete for a starting forward job and at the very least be one of the first guys off the bench. He’s an intriguing late-round pick given his projected opportunity.

Jaden Ivey: A healthier Cade Cunningham and the addition of Ausar Thompson contributed to Ivey’s playing time dipping from 31.1 minutes per game as a rookie to 28.8 in his second season. Ivey’s production across nearly all categories fell, and his shooting percentages increased only marginally. Ivey posted some big games, but it was a disappointing campaign for him overall, as the Purdue product mixed in plenty of duds in the process. He appeared in 74 games as a rookie and 77 in 2023-24, starting 61 of them, including every game from December 18 onward. It’s tough to see where Ivey fits in Detroit’s rotation, especially with the team picking fifth in the upcoming draft. Even with 30+ minutes a night, he’s an inefficient chucker with limited offerings in most other categories.

Quentin Grimes: Grimes was shipped to Detroit from New York at the trade deadline but only appeared in six games for his new team due to a lingering knee injury. Grimes showed plenty of promise in his first two and a half seasons with the Knicks, but due to opportunity, injury or inconsistent play, he has never been able to put it together for an extended period. He’ll look to get healthy this offseason and make an impact for Detroit in 2024-25, but it’s unclear what his role will be in a crowded guard rotation. Grimes isn’t an attractive draft choice in most leagues, but he could be an excellent streamer should Cade Cunningham or Jaden Ivey miss any time.

Restricted Free Agents: Jared Rhoden, Simone Fontecchio, James Wiseman, Malachi Flynn

Unrestricted Free Agents: Taj Gibson

Team Option: Chimezie Metu, Stanley Umude, Evan Fournier