Pistons Fit Score, explained.
Pistons Fit Score is a Detroit-specific editorial model — not a universal prospect grade. It answers one question: how much does this prospect help this team, built around Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, and Jalen Duren, picking at #21?
What it is — and isn't
Fit Score is fully formulaic. Six weighted pillars sum to 100, then a small set of stackable penalties are applied for specific roster-fit problems. There are no manual overrides, no hidden bumps, and no editorial thumb on the scale once the inputs are set.
It is not a universal prospect ranking. A player can be a top-five talent in this draft and still grade as a mixed Detroit fit — that's a feature, not a bug. Fit Score and the Big Board rank are different questions.
The public UI shows the score as /100 only. We don't publish A+/A/B/C letter grades, and we don't claim Fit Score is objective truth. It's a transparent editorial model that we'd rather argue about in public than hide.
The six pillars
Weights sum to 100.
- 0125 pts
Cade Spacing / Offensive Fit
Earns pointsOff-ball gravity next to Cade Cunningham — catch-and-shoot threat, relocation reads, screening for the ball, cutting against tilted defenses, and being a credible release valve when the ball stops.
Loses pointsOn-ball-only guards who duplicate Cade's job, broken jumpers, low-volume shooters, and high-usage scorers who need possessions to be useful.
- 0220 pts
Defensive Identity
Earns pointsPoint-of-attack pressure, switchability across two or three positions, awareness in rotations, real rebounding outside of box-score steals/blocks.
Loses pointsGuards who get hunted in pick-and-roll, wings who don't navigate screens, and bigs whose only defensive value is at the rim with nothing in space.
- 0320 pts
Immediate Role Readiness at #21
Earns pointsA clear October role on a playoff-aiming roster — proven shot, NBA-tenable defense day one, age/strength/processing that translate without a redshirt.
Loses pointsMulti-year development bets, tools-only swings, and prospects whose path to minutes assumes injuries above them.
- 0415 pts
Frontcourt / Roster Need Fit
Earns pointsStretch-4 spacing next to Duren, switchable forward size, or a backup-five archetype with rim protection. Anything that solves a Detroit-specific roster gap.
Loses pointsRedundant non-shooting bigs, undersized fours who can't switch, and wings who fight Ausar for minutes without spacing the floor.
- 0510 pts
Bench Creation / Pull-Up Shooting
Earns pointsSelf-created shotmaking that keeps the offense alive when Cade sits — pull-up threes, mid-range pull-ups, drawing fouls off the dribble.
Loses pointsPure off-ball specialists with no on-ball pop, and ball-stoppers who can't create efficient shots without a screen.
- 0610 pts
Grit / Role Discipline
Earns pointsMotor, role acceptance, decision-making inside the offense, defensive communication — Detroit identity stuff that shows up on tape, not just in interviews.
Loses pointsHero-ball habits, soft closeouts, and prospects whose tape suggests they only play hard in the games that matter to their draft stock.
Stackable penalties
After the six pillars are summed, a small set of automatic penalties can apply for specific roster-fit problems. They stack — a non-shooting on-ball guard with a broken jumper takes both hits — and are then clamped into the 0–100 range.
| Penalty | Amount | Why it exists |
|---|---|---|
| On-ball non-shooting guard | -10 | PG/SG with sub-32% three-point shooting and real assist load — Cade can't share the floor with a non-shooter who needs the ball. |
| Broken jumper | -8 | Sub-30% from three on real volume. Floor-spacing is the table-stakes skill in this offense. |
| Project risk | -8 | Low role readiness for a #21 pick on a team that's trying to win now. Stacks heavier (−12) when the gap is wide. |
| Spacing liability around Cade / Ausar / Ron | -8 | Bigger hit (−10) when the prospect actively shrinks the floor for the core. Stacks with the broken-jumper penalty. |
| Defensive identity tax | -6 | Negative defenders get docked — skipped only for elite plug-and-play shooters who pay it back on the other end. |
| Redundant non-shooting big | -8 | Detroit already has a non-shooting five. Another one that doesn't space or switch is a fit problem, not a depth piece. |
What Fit Score won't do
- Doesn't double as draftability. "Pick #21 reach" is its own category — a great fit who'll be off the board at #14 isn't realistic at #21, and Fit Score doesn't pretend otherwise.
- Doesn't claim to be objective. The pillars and weights reflect what we think Detroit needs. Reasonable Pistons fans can disagree with the weighting and still use the inputs.
- Doesn't get manually overridden. If a number looks wrong, the fix is to argue with the inputs, not to bump the final score.
- Doesn't show a letter grade. Score / 100 only. No A+/A/B/C theatrics.