Sam Veccine is dead-on with his evaluation of Ivey and Duren of their play thus far. He thinks Ivey is going to be an perennial all-star and Duren is very good in a limited role aka set screen, be a roll man and dunk everything in sight.
He also thinks that the Pistons has a bright future with Cade and Jaden as potentially one of the best backcourt in the league so that’s saying something.
I really don’t know what to think of Cade honestly - his total performace in the NBA isn’t very good to date. I’m encouraged by Ivey’s play of late - he really can go wherever he wants on the floor, his shooting has been much better, and his passing has been really good.
I do think the Pistons, if Duren, Cade, and Ivey start, are going to need some A+ defenders around them. Duren really needs to improve defensively if he’s going to be a starter.
Cade can get to his spot and bully smaller defenders. I’m not all that worried about him. The fact that he has been playing with a shin splint for 2 years is somewhat encouraging bc he has been productive playing through injuries. Best part about Cade is his mental processing. It’s special. He sees things at a much quicker rate than most players which is why I think he’ll be fine.
Rough night for Livers. He hit some 3’s but turned the ball over on the Pistons last offensive play and then gave up the game-winning tip-in at the buzzer.
Great games for Ivey, Wiseman, and Baby Dray (Eugene Omoruyi). RJ Hampton had a good game too.
We are almost to the point where 2023 draft pick player X is a vital piece of the puzzle and has to be considered in any starting lineup projections. Obviously hope it’s Wemby.
Your point still stands, though. Some nice defenders are probably going to be needed.
It really feels like we’re going to get screwed in the lottery again. It feels like the NBA is for sure going to rig it for the spurs
Yall got the #1 pick not that long ago. No complaining about the lottery allowed.
What was Omoruyi like at Rutgers? I don’t remember him being as skilled as he looked offensively tonight. Hit a corner three and had a nice drive and dish.
Wiseman was pretty impressive. Dominated Gafford who always seems to play well against the Pistons.
Ivey still forces too much but he’s grown so much this year. Shooting and passing much better than I expected this season.
I didn’t know Wiseman had this in his game:
took me a long time to figure out which teams were playing. “why am i having to sit through this bucks possession before we get to this wiseman play?”
Apparently, yes. He played at Rutgers and then transferred to Oregon. The Pistons signed him to a 10-day contract, after OKC released him. Judging by how he played tonight, and the rumors that Hami is out for the rest of the season with a sprained ankle, he may stick the rest of the year.
Possibly. But, if we remain with the worst record, we’ll pick no lower than #4.
This was nice too.
Unfortunately no lower than 5. Top 4 picks are drawn through lottery ever since they redid the odds
I was impressed by Omoruyi. Looks like he could be a nice back end of the bench player. His defense isn’t bad and generally knows what he’s doing. If he can shoot high 30s from 3 pt line, he can be a nice find by Weaver. That being said, his FGA is a bit high.
Omoruyi shot 32% from 3 in the G League for two years
He’s also 26 so he probably is what he is
We don’t have to fetishize everyone that steps on the floor 
I’m uncertain about Cade’s potential but you’re being too harsh on his performance to date. 21/6/6 while showing a good feel for the game and excellent defensive potential is not ‘not very good’ If you’re high on Franz, there’s no reason to be this low on Cade.
I will say that I’ve tempered my expectations of him just a bit. I thought he’d become a top10-15 level player but I think his ceiling is likely at an All Star level.
Which means: Pistons are still absolute trash and way behind even the most dire teams in the league. We still need that center piece; we’re not competing any time soon.
Well he’s an 18/5/5
And his true shooting is 90 points lower than the league average (Franz is above it)
And Franz averages 16/3/4.
Cade attempts ~2 more 3s a game and takes far more shots outside of the basket and more midrange shots. He’s also the primary ball handler on his team and was the most double teamed player in the league.
