Ivey, Cunningham Among Favorites For Awards While Pistons Remain Longshots In NBA

Of Michigan’s four major professional sports teams, the Detroit Pistons might have the brightest immediate future.

Thanks to aggressive offseasons from general manager Troy Weaver, Detroit has a young and talented roster coming into the 2022-23 NBA Season.

While it’s not surprising to see Michigan sports bettors getting behind the Pistons, oddsmakers aren’t necessarily in the same boat.

Detroit still seems to be a year off in the oddsmakers eyes as the new season sets to tip next week.

Pistons 2022-23 Season Odds

Another strong NBA Draft from the Pistons hasn’t placed them in the thick of the playoff race according to the latest NBA Odds.

Detroit remains near the teams with the longest odds to win the NBA Finals this season. The same can be said for the Eastern Conference and the Central Division.

FanDuel Sportsbook MI lists the Pistons over/under for wins at just 29.5 this season. The over carries a -122 moneyline. They also list the Pistons odds at making the playoffs at +880.

Detroit officially kicks off the regular season on Oct. 19 when it hosts the Orlando Magic at 7 p.m.

Young Pistons roster full of promise

The Pistons are coming off a 23-59 record in 2021-22, marking a slight improvement from the two 20-win seasons each of the previous two years.

Detroit is seeking its first playoff appearance since 2019 this year. But, it’s also seeking its first playoff win since 2008. In sync with the other Detroit pro sports teams, it’s been over 5,200 days the Pistons last won a playoff series.

Cade Cunningham was one of the finalists for Rookie of the Year last season and is now the clear leader of the Pistons.

The Pistons added Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft and still have the likes of Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes from the 2020 Draft.

Detroit also re-signed Marvin Bagley to a 3-year deal after trading for him last February. More recently, the Pistons traded for Bojan Bogdanovic, the 6’7” forward from Utah to help add a veteran presence to the young roster.

*Bagley appeared to suffer a knee injury in Tuesday’s preseason game with Oklahoma City. The extent of the injury isn’t known as of this writing.

Cade Cunningham MVP Odds

All eyes are on the second-year guard from Oklahoma State this season.

Cunningham looked the part of the No. 1 overall pick last season. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

While finishing just shy of winning Rookie of the Year, Cunningham could be a contender for League MVP and Most Improved Player.

Granted, MVP is a longshot unless the Pistons greatly overachieve as a team. BetMGM Michigan lists him at +50000 to win the honor. He currently is getting 2.8% of the wagers in the BetMGM MVP market.

Most Improved sees Cunningham listed at +2200, which is among the top favorites. BetMGM reports he is getting 6.6% of the wagers in the market thus far.

Cunningham was relied on to score more for the Pistons than they would prefer last season. Cunningham’s ability to facilitate offense for his team wasn’t fully on display as Detroit struggled to hit outside shots.

Detroit shot 32.6% from 3-point land this season, but the addition of Ivey and development of Isaiah Livers as an outside option should take scoring pressure off Cunningham.

Jaden Ivey Rookie of the Year Odds

The Pistons may not have had the Rookie of the Year last season, but could in 2022-23.

Ivey was the No. 5 selection in the Draft and will look to be the first Piston ROY winner since Grant Hill in the 1994-95 season.

The 6-foot-4 guard from Purdue put up 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season with the Boilermakers. He also shot 35.8 percent from the arc.

An aggressive player that likes to push the pace, Ivey should be a perfect compliment to Cunningham. Both can switch off handling the ball and will instinctively get to the basket.

BetMGM is listing Ivey among the favorites to win Rookie of the Year. He currently has +550 odds. That is only behind No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero of Orlando (+200) and Sacramento’s Keegan Murray (+500).

Ivey is getting the most tickets for ROY at BetMGM. He has received 30.1% of the tickets and 25.2% of the handle. Only Banchero (36.6%) has more of the handle.

Jalen Duren Rookie of the Year Odds

Ivey isn’t the only Pistons contender in the ROY race. Duren was selected 13th overall in the NBA Draft.

A 6-11 center from Memphis, Duren is just 18 years of age.

There’s a lot of upside to Duren, who averaged 12 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in his lone season with Memphis. However, he could be worked into the Pistons’ lineup a little more slowly than Ivey.

Still, Duren is listed at +3000 to win the NBA Rookie of the Year, according to BetMGM.

Like Ivey, Duren is also getting a lot of public betting support in the market. He currently sits at 3.1% of the tickets. Only five players have more wagers.