For much of the 2021-22 NBA season, the Detroit Pistons have underwhelmed in most facets of the game.
While that seems like an unfair expectation, let’s pull back the curtains; I don’t frankly care about the record for the team this year. They’re rebuilding! Expecting anything other than a bottom five record would’ve been a foolhardy mistake.
However, the process is where I’ve felt murky.
There hasn’t really been much synergy throughout the roster. The defensive base that was there last year had fallen off. Jerami Grant has been solid, but his place on the team has felt weird as Cade Cunningham has asserted himself and Saddiq Bey has taken on a higher place in the offense.
The vigor and intensity that made Isaiah Stewart so intriguing last season haven’t been the same. He hasn’t rolled with the same force to the rim, or expanded upon the flashes he showed as a pick-and-pop shooter to close his rookie year.
Killian Hayes has been rough, man. The defense has been a plus (he absolutely clamped Tyrese Haliburton when they played Indiana), but his shot continues to be wayward and he still has yet to find consistency as a downhill driver.
Throughout the first two-thirds of the season, the promise and potential of the individual players on the roster was evident, while the same couldn’t fully be said about the potential of the team outside of Cade.
That’s changed for me over the past month, and especially since the return to play after the All-Star Break! Detroit is 5-2 with the 17th ranked offense and 14th ranked defense over that span. They have wins over teams vying for locked-in playoff seeding, and in spite of those teams having some significant players out, it’s still a massive upgrade over earlier-season outings!
The team has shot better of late, after ranking 30th in the league in three point percentage for much of the season. The distance shooting gods have lent shot luck in their favor as well, as the Pistons have allowed the seventh-lowest opposing three-point percentage in the NBA after the break; a stark contrast to allowing a 37.6% clip, highest in the league over the first 58 games. But, make no mistake, the defense has been more in sync and rotations have been more crisp. Ball movement has seemingly been better.
There’s no one thing to point to that drastically improved the Pistons, rather the team has executed better on the minutiae that makes a sizable difference in-game. They are undoubtedly not an above .500 team, but they’re playing over their heads due to solid team play and singular contributions that better mesh cohesively and showcase development made over the last few months.
Cade, mannnnn pic.twitter.com/xw1qWZ556h
— Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) March 7, 2022
It all starts with Cade, who has been on an absolute tear, averaging 21.6 point, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists on 51% true-shooting. While the efficiency isn’t great, largely due to subpar shooting from outside, it’s undeniable that he’s taken yet another step forward in the halfcourt. On the year, Cade is shooting 37% from mid-range, but after the break he’s hitting at a 43% clip, per Cleaning the Glass.
His pacing, control, and ability to manipulate defenders with guile are remarkable for any player, let alone a rookie. The continued improvement of his scoring off the dribble is a boon to his ability to buoy an offense.
Speaking of that synergy, Stewart and Cade are developing some interesting aspects in a two-man game out of pick and roll!
Enjoying Isaiah Stewart's interior screens lately (@JLEdwardsIII has a great piece on this) pic.twitter.com/UYYpBUQe1a
— Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) March 7, 2022
Stewart is honing in on his screening ability, hitting interior defenders with a secondary screen to pave the way for drivers to the rim.
He’s shown flashes of switchability on defense in the past, but put together some nice flashes routinely over the past two weeks as the Pistons consistently switch across every position.
Kelly Olynyk, the signature signing of the offseason for Detroit, has played in all seven games and he makes the offense make more sense! His ability to stretch the floor both as a stationary shooter and as a screen-and-pop option helps create cleaner driving lanes.
His connective passing ability to move the ball on the roll and operate as a dribble handoff partner showcase what Detroit missed for much of the season at the 5 position (He’s played a quarter of his games since the All-Star Break).
Those open lanes have benefitted another young Piston in Saddiq Bey!
Saddiq Bey has really popped after the All-Star Break
Drives Pre-ASB: 5.8 drives per game (finishing 41.2% on drives)
Drives Post-ASB: 6.6 per game (finishing 55% on drives) pic.twitter.com/2WMiWmslgJ
— Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) March 8, 2022
Bey is averaging 17.1 points per game on 58.4% true-shooting, a sizable uptick from his season long efficiency (52.5%). He’s canning his threes again like he was last season, shooting 37.3% from deep on about seven per game since Christmas Day.
After seeing a massive role uptick this season, Bey struggled to acclimate, routinely getting smothered at the rim. He doesn’t quite have the burst to create consistent separation, nor does he have the lift to rise over defenders for easier at-rim finishes. He is a power wing through and through, and after toggling much of the year between trying to smash in the post or power drive through contact, he’s starting to find a solid balance.
He’s slowed down his pace after attacking the rim full-speed earlier this season, using his strength to his advantage now. He’s making better reads as a passer with regularity and his overall decision-making has become much more palatable with the ball in his hands.
