The Detroit Pistons are one of the worst teams in the NBA to start the season. The average age of their starters is 21. New head coach Monty Williams was hired this past summer and given a six-year, $78 million contract. But to what end?
The Houston Rockets are also a young team, but they brought in some veterans to go with their youth, and they are playing well.
Did the Pistons get it wrong by turning the roster over to a bunch of inexperienced players?
It’s Early But Things Don’t Look Great
We are not even a month into the season yet, so it’s a little early to make any grand proclamations.
However, the Pistons’ record is what it is. They are 2-13 and near the bottom in net rating, offensive and defensive rating. They seem to lack a competitive spirit often.
Maybe some of that lackluster effort can be attributed to the coach, but the NBA is the best basketball league in the world. It’s hard to win games consistently. Young players and young teams rarely have the ability to do it. They don’t have the reps and reference points.
No doubt Williams was brought in to establish good defensive habits and a level of professionalism. That’s just the beginning.
The team has to determine who has ability and who can help win possessions. For young players to learn how to do that, they need playing time. Lots of it. But with that playing time that means mistakes will happen, often.
The Pistons are led by former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham. They also have promising talent in 2023 draft pick Ausar Thompson, 2022 pick Jaden Ivey (who’s stuck on the bench) and 2022 pick Jalen Duren.
Is There A Plan?
But Cunningham is supposed to be the straw that stirs the drink, and he’s had injury issues that have stunted his development.
“We got to be realistic about the situation,” said Cunningham after Sunday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors. “It’s hard to just be like, ‘We’re good, we’re good,’ you know what I’m saying? Because we’re bad. We have to address that. We have to address what we’re not good at. Address it with not only our words but on the court, in the huddles.”
Losing coupled with bad habits creates a culture that isn’t conducive to winning.
The Pistons are bad and will be bad this season. But what can they learn in these defeats? Are they competing at a high level? Is there situational and practical awareness on the floor. Is Monty Williams
Even amid the losses if those things are present then there is a chance for the team to improve.
Playing with a young and inexperienced roster devoid of veterans is fine, once the organization has a plan for the development of the players.
It’s too early to say if the Pistons have blown it by not opting to pay for more experienced veterans. They’re giving their young players some runway to see who has the potential for takeoff. Time will tell.
