Pistons: 3 players poised for a breakout season in Detroit

The Detroit Pistons are ready to leap back to relevance after one of the worst two-year runs in team history. It was a controlled crash-landing, strategically imposed in order to break the patterns established by a decade-plus of mediocrity.

Still, just because it was on purpose didn’t make it any more enjoyable.

Now the Pistons have a rebuilt young core, with rookie Cade Cunningham being the face of the future in Detroit. Around him is a roster with potential, and a handful of players ready to have breakout seasons. We’ll take a look at the three players best positioned to do so.

Pistons poised for a breakout season: 3. Isaiah Stewart

Isaiah Stewart had an excellent rookie season after getting drafted 16th overall in last November’s NBA draft. It seemed like a pretty major reach at the time, but he immediately justified general manager Troy Weaver’s faith in him with his tenacity and physical energy.

Of course, trying hard isn’t the only thing that makes a difference in the NBA. The Pistons also have reason to see him as a prospective floor-stretching big who can help unlock offense with his outside shooting. His opportunities to demonstrate those shooting skills were infrequent, averaging just 0.9 attempts per game from 3-point range, but the Pistons often had no capable offensive facilitators on the floor last season.

This season will be different, and he should be one of the biggest beneficiaries of getting to play alongside Cade Cunningham and a full season of Killian Hayes.