Go through the gallery above to view Rod Beard’s final grades for the 2021-22 Detroit Pistons. Click here if you’re having trouble viewing the gallery.
It’s hard to try to make a 23-59 record seem like a successful season, but beyond the numbers, the Pistons did what they needed to do in the second season of their rebuild. They were able to get adequate improvement from their second-year building blocks and they blended in No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham very well.
In their final 25 games, they were 11-14, with some nice wins. It’s momentum to carry into next season, which will have much higher expectations than this season did. The Pistons had some significant injuries, including Cunningham’s early in training camp, that stunted their growth and made them test their depth.
There were some high points, such as Saddiq Bey’s career-high 51 points against the Magic, as well as two 34-point games from Cunningham. There also was a slew of games with mostly G League players because of COVID-19 issues and several 10-day signings.
It wasn’t always pretty in terms of wins and losses, but they played far more close games in the closing stretch of the season. The product on the court improved over last season, and there’s a chance that next season could end in the postseason.
Here are the final grades for this season, based on individual expectations and not just on production.
Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard