It’s a process, right? One we aren’t gonna see in full effect for at least another couple of weeks — until Cade Cunningham’s ankle heals and the No. 1 overall pick makes his debut and spaces the floor and knocks down 3’s and saves the Detroit Pistons franchise.
Well, that’s a bit much. Maybe way too much. Mostly because this franchise doesn’t need saving. It needs shooting. It already has a lot of everything else.
THE REST OF THE SEASON: Pistons have young, exciting core. Is that enough for playoffs?
Lots of the kind of things wanted by Troy Weaver, the general manager who loves to talk about restoring this franchise.
If you’re going to judge that effort after a 72-game season and a single game of the next?
Well, go for it. Because the restoration is underway.
[ Avoidable mistakes cost Pistons during 94-88 loss to Bulls ]
The proof is on the floor, if not yet on the scoreboard. For what the Pistons did Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls — a likely playoff team — is what you’re likely to see for much of this season: A close, physical game, a few missed shots late, a loss.
“We played well defensively,” coach Dwane Casey said. “The errors on offense broke our back … we missed some shots we normally make. Some wide-open 3’s.”
Well, that’s a bit optimistic, as the offense bogged down late and open 3’s were scarce. Those may come with time … and with Cunningham’s gravity.
Like the Pistons, the Bulls are figuring out things, too, as they added a few new pieces to surround Zach LaVine, their supernova. Still, taking the Bulls to a one-possession game with less than a minute left isn’t the worst way to open the season — Chicago won 94-88.
It’ll look different in a month. Heck, a couple of weeks, if Cunningham is back by the end of the month (as the Pistons hope he will be). Even without him, though, there is a lot to like about where this team is headed.
ROUND MOUND OF WRONG ANSWERS: Charles Barkley: ‘Why would I watch the Pistons?’ Here are several reasons, Chuck
Forget about the shooting for a moment, if you can — Cunningham will help that. Saddiq Bey will help that, too. The second year forward was the team’s best 3-point shooter last season, and he will not keep going 0-for-4 from deep.
What’s encouraging is that Bey still scored 13, the result of an offseason expanding his bag, so to speak. His skill with the ball allows him to create space off the dribble now for a mid-range pull-up. More importantly, it allows him to attack the paint, which he did consistently, especially in the second half.
He wasn’t the only one who got better. Jerami Grant showed more confidence and decisiveness. Isaiah Stewart didn’t show more motor, only because that’s not humanly possible.
But he did show more touch. Slipping lefty bunnies around Nikola Vucevic. Spinning around Patrick Williams. Even shooting a 3-pointer without hesitation. He missed it. That was beside the point. He looked comfortable releasing it.
Everyone who played, whether a returning regular or new to the “program,” as Casey likes to say, showed the kind of effort that made this team endearing last season. That they were in the game, despite shooting 6-for-28 from 3-point range and 40% overall, backs that up.
“On the defensive end, we came ready to play,” Grant said. “Held them to 14 points in the first quarter … We just have to make a couple more shots and we’ll be fine.”
There will be more nights like this, certainly, even with Cunningham on the floor. Then again, there will be nights when the deep ball is falling, and the rookie is leading, and it won’t matter how good the opponent is.
At some point, Killian Hayes will find himself in the middle of this surge. The Pistons better hope he does. For now, though, he still struggles with confidence and shooting and when to attack the rim and when to loft a floater.
The second-year point guard missed his first training camp and missed two-thirds of last season because of a hip injury. If we’re gauging by games played, he’s still a rookie.
He looked it against the Bulls, tentative and unwilling to shoot from deep. It’s too soon to give up on him. He’s not far removed from being a teen, and he shows enough flashes — on defense, his passing — to suggest he can be productive.
Cunningham should help Hayes with his confidence. He should help the team with its spacing, which should help everyone with their shooting.
Down the stretch against the Bulls, the Pistons struggled to get clean looks and were often left with Grant isolations. He is capable of making shots this way, but it’s a big ask on a cramped floor when the kickout options are slim.
Still, Grant tried, and his team-high 24 points helped keep the Pistons around most of the night. His defense did, too. So did Stewart’s and Bey’s and, well, everyone’s, really.
As Casey said often during training camp, defense is the way forward. At least this year.
If nothing else, it’s familiar around these parts. A tough, physical, relentless team that stays in game because of effort, rebounding and grit.
It’s Weaver’s way. It’s the Pistons’ way. The restoration is underway.
Even without the No. 1 pick, that was clear on opening night.
Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @shawnwindsor.