3 Detroit Pistons storylines to watch that would soften blow of irredeemable season
After an active trade deadline, the Detroit Pistons have an unusually long list of evaluations to make during the final third of the season.
There are six newcomers (Simone Fontecchio, Quentin Grimes, Troy Brown Jr., Shake Milton, Evan Fournier and Malachi Flynn), and at least two of them are competing for long-term roles with the franchise. Following the departure of veterans Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, there are also a lot of additional touches available for the team’s up-and-coming young core.
Along with the long evaluation list, the eight-win Pistons will try to compete down the stretch. Unlike past seasons, it’s less likely that a significant portion of the roster will be shut down as we head into March — they want to end the season on a positive note after suffering a 28-game losing streak.
“I’m trying to win every game we can,” Monty Williams said after the team’s practice at their New Center facility on Wednesday. “We can evaluate as we try to win games. I've stressed to the guys we want to be a team that runs through the tape. That’s something that I think we’re all going to adopt. I hear your point about the evaluation part, but I’m more inclined to create momentum going into the offseason and you do that by working your tails off everyday.
“But I’m not gonna be throwing combinations on the floor just to take a look at certain combinations,” he continued. “We’re done with that, in my opinion. We’re going to try to develop guys for sure, but we’re going to try to win every game we can so that we can create what we feel like is some good momentum going into the seventh.”
There’s little the team can do to completely erase the stench of the poor start. However, there is an opportunity to establish the roster’s core before the team looks to make more substantial upgrades this offseason.
Here are three storylines to follow through the final 28 games:
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Can Fontecchio, other newcomers secure futures in Detroit?
As previously reported, the Pistons’ busy trade deadline was mainly focused around the acquisitions of a pair of “3-and-D” wings in Fontecchio, a 6-foot-8 forward, and Grimes, a 6-4 guard. Both can sign long-term contracts with the Pistons this summer — 28-year-old Fontecchio will be a restricted free agent, and 23-year-old Grimes will become eligible for his rookie-scale extension.
Fontecchio has been solid in the three games he’s played so far with the Pistons, averaging 15.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 26 minutes per game while shooting 45% overall and 35% from 3. That’s without the benefit of a home practice, as his first in Detroit was on Wednesday following their five-game West Coast swing and the All-Star break.
Grimes has yet to make his debut due to a right knee sprain and has been listed as doubtful for Thursday's game at the Indiana Pacers, despite being a full participant in Wednesday's practice. But he should be close to playing. The career 37.9% 3-point shooter is a skilled defender and is expected complement Detroit’s primary ballhandlers, Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.
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“I’ve always felt like he’s one of those guys that’s trying to find that consistent path, but he has a skillset and a body type that fits the way we want to play,” Williams said last week. “He can shoot the ball, he’s got a big body so defensively he can switch and guard the way that we like to. I think there’s a lot more in his game and we want to try to figure that out.”
Brown, a 6-6 wing, has knocked down 40% of his 3-pointers through three games (albeit on just 10 attempts) and is also capable defensively. He’s on a non-guaranteed deal worth $4 million next season, giving him an outside chance of sticking on the roster.
Will Cade Cunningham continue strong finish?
The third-year guard’s season started off rocky, but since December he’s performed more like the do-it-all star the Pistons sought when they drafted him first overall in 2021.
Before Dec. 1 (19 games): 22.3 points, 7.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 4.5 turnovers, 41.7% overall, 34.2% from 3, 88.8% at the line.
After Dec. 1 (25 games): 21.6 points, 7.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds, one steal, 2.8 turnovers, 47.2% overall, 32.7% from 3, 83.6% at the line.
Since December, Cunningham has been making significantly more of his shots (despite the slight decline in 3-point percentage) and has drastically reduced his turnovers. His efficiency improves even more when counting his 18 games since Ivey became a full-time starter on Dec. 18: 22.7 points on 48.3% overall shooting and 37.3% shooting from 3, while maintaining his improved assist-to-turnover ratio.
Cunningham, who is eligible for a max extension this offseason, is performing like a player with that level of upside. Since 2011, only two No. 1 picks (Anthony Bennett and Markelle Fultz) have failed to ink extensions with their original franchises. However, 2018 first-overall pick DeAndre Ayton had to wait until his restricted free agency in 2022 to sign an extension, rather than the year before as the Phoenix Suns waited for an outside offer to match.
There’s still plenty of room for Cunningham to grow. He was the NBA’s most turnover-prone player in October and November, but has improved substantially since then. While he has shot well from behind the arc since Dec. 18, he can improve his season mark of 33.5%. And the Pistons have won just as many games without him as with him this season.
A strong finish by him would silence concerns about the Pistons immediately locking down their franchise player through 2029. Beyond his efficiency, he could make a big statement by helping his team win a few more games.
Who else will benefit from more touches?
Bogdanovic and Burks ranked second (15.2) and fifth (9.4) on the team in shot attempts per game prior to the trade deadline. In the four games since, a new hierarchy has emerged. Ivey’s attempts have surged to a team-high 16 per game, up from his season mark of 11.9. Ausar Thompson’s attempts have also increased, from 7.5 to 11.8. Jalen Duren is up slightly, from 9.7 to 10.5.
Four games is much too small a sample size to draw conclusions, especially since Grimes has yet to make his debut and Isaiah Stewart hasn’t taken the floor with the new players yet while recovering from a left ankle sprain. Stewart is listed as questionable for Thursday. But Cunningham and Ivey should be atop the new pecking order.
They, along with Detroit’s other young players, have been thrust into bigger roles and will be able to prove they can handle the added responsibility. Mike Muscala and Evan Fournier are the only players on the team older than 30.
Williams will have no choice but to lean on his young talent, meaning his rotations will be telling as the team looks to avoid setting a new franchise low by winning fewer than 16 games. Ivey and Duren have looked like legitimate co-stars next to Cunningham offensively. Thompson and Marcus Sasser, too, will be in the spotlight.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
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Next up: Pacers
Matchup: Pistons (8-46) at Indiana (31-25).
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Thursday; Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis.
TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit; WWJ-AM (950).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 3 Detroit Pistons storylines to close out disappointing season
