Detroit Pistons preseason grades: The good, the bad and the ugly

Detroit Pistons tier 3 players

Blake Griffin: C-

Blake Griffin didn’t have an especially effective preseason, but he did show some of the old spring he had in his step circa 2018-19. He let it fly from 3-point range, attempting 5.3 3s per game. Griffin only hit 23.8 percent of his attempts, but the most important thing is that he was able to get on the floor and stay on the floor without showing signs of the knee injury that devastated his last season.

Saddiq Bey: C-

Saddiq Bey was the 19th pick in this year’s draft and only played 11.7 minutes per game, so we can’t hold much against him. Still, his statistical production is what it is, and shooting 27.8 percent from the floor and 21.4 percent from 3-point range will get you somewhere in this C- range. Underwhelming preseason or not, Bey has shown plenty of promise and has been praised by Blake Griffin as one of the most complete rookies he’s ever seen.

Jahlil Okafor: D+

Jahlil Okafor had a fair preseason. He is currently the de facto backup center and averaged 6.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game. It wasn’t anything to write home about, but for a cheap free agent center signing, you could do worse in his role.