Around the NBA, teams are taking notice of the Pistons.
With an exciting young core headlined by two top-five picks in Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, the Pistons are poised to rise quickly in the East — and then stick around for a while.
Looking ahead, a rival Eastern Conference executive said the trio of Cunningham, Ivey and fellow lottery pick Jalen Duren is “gonna be hard to guard.”
“They’ve got some dudes you expect to be good,” the exec told ESPN. “Even if one out of three of those dudes hit, they’re set up well.”
Cunningham already showed signs of being a superstar last season. And between Ivey and Duren, a rival Eastern Conference scout said Troy Weaver and the Pistons “got the two most athletic players” in this year’s draft.
Throw in Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, two more former first-rounders making names for themselves in the NBA, and the Pistons are positioned for long-term success. That’s without mentioning potential additions via free agency and trades moving forward.
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The rival exec said the Pistons “still might be a year away,” but knows their future is bright.
“They’re going to play hard,” he said. “Dwane Casey’s teams play hard. It’s jut a matter of youth. It’ll be part of their growing pains, but it’ll be worth it in the long term for them. They’re going to be one of the more fun teams to watch.”
According to a rep inside the organization, the feeling is that the Pistons “hit a home run” in the draft — and “you can feel the excitement.”
“We’ll probably have the youngest team in the league next year, or one of them, so we have to be careful not to put too much pressure or set expectations. We’ve got great chemistry, and I think we’re going to be in position to make a big jump in wins.”
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