Can the Detroit Pistons improve without making drastic off-season moves?

The Detroit Pistons are expected to make some tough decisions in the off-season. But can they improve without making drastic moves?

The Detroit Pistons finished off their season with a record of 41 wins and 41 losses. Struggling with inconsistent shooting, different rotations, and injuries to key Piston’ players; they managed to scrap their way into the playoffs as the 8th seed to take on the Milwaukee Bucks thanks to Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson‘s improved play during the second half of the season.

They can also thank their defense for saving their behinds in multiple games where their offense was almost non-existent. The Pistons placed themselves as the 12th best defensive rating team in the league. They also limited their opponents to the third least amount of second chance points. And to top it all off, they limited their opponents to the fifth least amount of points in a fast break.

There are many flaws on their current roster. Ish Smith, Zaza Pachulia, Glenn Robinson III, Jose Calderon, and Wayne Ellington are all going to enter free agency. And it’s almost likely that all of those players excluding Ellington are going to walk away from the Pistons. And the Pistons are probably okay with doing so due to the flaws they possessed.

Still though even with all of those players out of the door, the Pistons are locked up in cap space. And only have the mid-level exception to play around with. Meaning they cannot sign a big name free agent like Kemba Walker or Klay Thompson unless they decide to take a pay cut and play in Detroit.

The team is going to look to make tough game-changing decisions in the summer. Decisions that could lead to Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson, and/or Luke Kennard being shipped away.

The Pistons all-star duo of Drummond and Blake Griffin was questioned to start the season. Many fans predicted that these two players could not pair well together on the court. But both players proved the doubters wrong.

The Pistons are not going to get a good package in return for Andre Drummond. With the rumored offers throughout the past year, it’s unlikely Drummond will get traded for another all-star type player in return.

Reggie Jackson on the other hand could be a potential trade piece. His value surely has went up once the season ended due to his improved play and expiring contract at the end of the 2019-2020 season.

But is Jackson going to get you a game-changing player in return? Unless you’re doing a Reggie Jackson for Jrue Holiday or Mike Conley straight up, it’s probably not worth pursuing those types of trades. Other team’s might ask for a protected first rounder or a young player such as Luke Kennard in return.

And lastly Kennard has shown strides to be a great player for the Pistons. In the playoffs Kennard averaged 15 points per game on 48 percent shooting from the field and 60 percent from three. Kennard can become a 15 points per game scorer given the right minutes and shot opportunities. He’s also the Pistons best wing player and shooter. Keeping him on the team would be extremely valuable due to the Pistons three-point shooting woes.

So what should the Pistons do?

1. The Pistons are likely to go after a wing player in free agency. They need someone who can defend the three and occasionally the four spot while also being able to knockdown threes. The only way they do this is by using their mid-level exception.
2. If the Pistons don’t find a draft prospect that they like at 15, they could use that pick to clear salary cap. Both Jon Leuer and Langston Galloway are expiring deals. And if they are able to clear both of these players, they could dig deeper into free agency. They could also use that pick plus Galloway/Leuer to trade for a backup point guard or three-point shooting wing player. With Ish Smith likely gone from the Pistons, they will need a point guard that can shoot while also creating for the bench.
3. Continue to develop players. Andre Drummond is only 25 years old. And by the time the season starts, he will only be 26. He has drastically improved defensively this season. And he could get even better next season. Also if he’s able to find a reliable offensive weapon to create his own shot, he’ll almost be an unstoppable force. Luke Kenanrd has shown he can be a great player in this league. His smart basketball IQ has shown more and more as games go on. And the Pistons are going to give him more opportunities to handle the ball and create the offense for the team next season. Bruce Brown was a poor offensive player for the Pistons starting lineup. He was a black hole on offense most games. But his defense stuck out the most for the team. He was asked to guard the best player’s wing/guard position on a nightly basis. If he is able to develop on that plus finding a reliable three-point shot; he’ll become that player that most team’s hate to play against. And with a couple other young Piston’ players developing; Khyri Thomas, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Thon Maker, they potentially have some great rotation players in the making.
4. Another year to figure out the offense. Dwane Casey’s first year as the Pistons head coach was rocky. He switched offense multiple times during the regular season before figuring out something he liked the most. He switched to an offense that let Reggie Jackson handle the ball more while getting Drummond more involved in the offense. With a whole summer to work with, Casey could stir up something that could work out for everyone on the roster. And he could watch a lot more film to figure out some of the mistakes that happened during the season. Casey had a hard time adjusting against a zone defense. And it costed the Pistons multiple games at the end of the season.

It’s going to be an interesting off-season. What do you think the Pistons should do?