The Detroit Pistons will go into free agency looking for a backup point guard. Should they go after Darren Collison?
The Detroit Pistons need a backup point guard. With the Pistons selecting Sekou Doumbouya in the NBA Draft, they surely will be looking to sign a backup point guard in free agency.
The Detroit Pistons also drafted Jordan Bone with the 57th overall pick. The point guard out of Tennessee spent three years in college. He averaged 13.5 points per game and 5.8 assists on 46.5 percent shooting from the field and 35.5 percent from three.
Bone was able to post great results in the NBA Draft Combine.
3/4 court sprint:
— Louis Fernandez Jr (@LouFernandezJr) May 16, 2019
-Jordan Bone: 3.03 seconds
-Derrick Rose: 3.05 seconds
-Russell Westbrook: 3.08 seconds
Max Vert:
-Jordan Bone: 42.5 inches
-Derrick Rose: 40 inches
-Russell Westbrook: 36.5 inches
But as the 57th overall pick, it’s highly unlikely the Pistons use him as the backup point guard. He still has many things in his game to work on. And the Pistons are looking to win games. They need someone that’s NBA ready.
The Pistons will likely let Ish Smith walk in free agency. Ish spent three seasons with Detroit and was solid as the backup behind Reggie Jackson. But the problem with Ish had always been his lack of three-point shooting.
So who should the Pistons sign in free agency? Insert Darren Collison.
The 10 year veteran will be looking to sign a new deal likely with a new team after spending two seasons with the Indiana Pacers. With the Pacers, he averaged 11.8 points per game, 5.7 assists, and 1.4 steals on 48.1 percent shooting from the field and a blistering hot 43.9 percent from three. He also started 140 of the 145 games played with Indiana in the last two seasons.
Collison would be an immediate fit with the Pistons. His three point shooting could really improve the Pistons shooting woes that they struggled with this past season.
Although the Pistons probably wouldn’t give him a starting role on the team, he’s likely to receive close to 25 minutes a night with the Pistons. This is plenty of minutes for a backup point guard and would benefit Reggie Jackson tremendously in the long run.
Collison’s 5.7 assists a night in the last two season with the Pacers will give the Pistons enough confidence to have him run the bench unit like Ish Smith did.
The Pistons have 9.2 million dollars to spend with their Mid-Level Exception. If they were to go after Collison, they would likely have to give up almost all if not all to him in order to lure him to Detroit.