Should the Detroit Pistons pursue any free agent point guards?

Lorenzo Brown and Ray McCallum aren’t inspiring a lot of confidence as they fight for a spot as the Detroit Pistons backup point guard while Reggie Jackson is out. Are there any free agent points guards the team should consider signing?

The Detroit Pistons‘ starting point guard, Reggie Jackson, is out for six to eight weeks as he recovers from platelet-rich plasma injections in both his left knee and right thumb. The news was a terrible way for the team to kickoff the preseason.

However, it was also semi-convenient timing, as it gave the rest of point guards on the roster the preseason to adjust. And adjust they must, as Jackson could miss as many as 15-20 games, and he’ll be sorely missed. After all, he was the team’s leading scorer and “closer” who carried Detroit through a lot of fourth quarters last season.

For now, as we know, command of the point guard spot has fallen to Ish Smith. I am on board with this, as I believe his speed, attacking nature, and ability to operate the pick-and-roll will keep the Pistons in line on offense.

More from PistonPowered

But Smith started out the preseason by throwing up two stinkers in Detroit’s first two preseason games. He shot 3-13 from the field and also collected just eight assists to go along with five turnovers.

Thankfully, Smith was able to dial the panic meter down several notches with his performance in Thursday’s third preseason game. In that contest, Smith shot 6-10 from the field, 2-2 from three, and finished with 18 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 0 turnovers. He also led Detroit to victory on the road with three clutch plays down the stretch.

Smith will not be a good shooter; he never has been. But he can keep the Pistons alive and thriving if he stays in attack mode and puts up lines that like. It’s the minutes when Smith is resting on the bench that should be of more concern.

The backup point guards, however, are not inspiring any sort of confidence thus far. Lorenzo Brown and Ray McCallum have been staggering games as the point guard off the bench. In two appearances, McCallum is 4-10 from the field and 0-3 from deep while sporting a 6:5 assist to turnover ratio. In one appearance (with his second coming tonight), Brown failed to record an assist, shot 33.33 percent from the field and went 0-3 from three.

And what did you expect? Two weeks ago, these guys were fighting to be the 15th man on the roster. Now the team expects they will be just fine holding a 15-18 minute a night spot in the rotation?

It’s hard to feel good about the situation. Look, this team has not-so-subtle Eastern Conference Finals aspirations. The games Jackson misses are going to prove critical toward the season’s end. The East standings should be one big, jumbled mess below the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If the Pistons want to stay afloat, let alone gain ground up those standings, it doesn’t look like Brown or McCallum are going to cut it. But the free agent point guard market at the moment…well, it’s not pretty.

Miller, Hinrich and Blake are old. Robinson may still be pursuing an NFL career. Chalmers is a month away from being able to play following an Achilles rupture in March. Also of note, Norris Cole just signed with a Chinese team last week, so he’s out of the picture. Other than those guys, it’s either make a trade or wait to see who gets cut at the end of training camp. But, Detroit should also be wary to trade any long-term assets for a six-to-eight-week band-aid.

Thanks to Chalmers’ injury, Hinrich is the best option out there in my opinion. But we know what happened when the Pistons tried their hand at an old vet at backup point guard last season. Still, Hinrich, with his experience, might be worth exploring.

Next: Detroit Pistons make a fan's dream come true

With uninspiring options behind Smith and in the free agent pool, the Pistons may have to stand pat and ride out the Jackson injury, and it might not be pretty.

Home/Pistons News