Detroit Pistons: 5 takeaways from the first 5 games

2. Rookies playing their way onto the court

Killian Hayes was the story of the draft for the Pistons, but while he’s started slow, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart have hit the ground running. Bey has started two games for the Pistons and is shooting the ball without a conscience from 3-point range (10-of-22 so far), and his absurd 1-of-11 2-point shooting can only go up from here.

Stewart is First Team All-Effort and is going to lead the league in players who hate his ever-living guys. He’s the quintessential Piston Center, following in the steps of players like Ben Wallace and Dennis Rodman from an effort and want-to perspective. If this team ever gets back to greatness, Stewart might be the fifth or sixth-best player on the team but he’ll be the squad’s unanimous fan favorite, regardless of who else is actually on the team at the time.

Also worth noting, Isaiah Stewart leads the NBA in offensive rebounds per 36 minutes (among all players who have seen more than 48 minutes of action, with 7.7. On a team that struggles to put the ball in the basket, that’s a major asset.

Killian Hayes has taken a different direction so far, and he’s our next bullet point.