3 reasons why this is the best Detroit Pistons roster of the decade

Number 3: The Talent on the Bench

On paper, the Pistons best bench unit of the decade was probably the bench going into the 2016-17 season after the team had upgraded from Steve Blake to Ish Smith and added, at that time, talented stretch-four Jon Leuer. Of course we all know how this season ended up because of injury but this year’s bench looks to be a breath of fresh air.

Let’s start with who’s here and who’s gone. Derrick Rose is taking over the backup point guard position for another talented backup Smith who signed with the Wizards this offseason.

Rose saw somewhat of a revival last season in Minnesota and with the help of the Pistons talented medical team, he hopes to have one of the healthiest years of his career and could very well thrive on the Pistons bench that lacks shot creators. If healthy, Rose is probably the best backup point guard in the league and could be in the Sixth Man of the Year race if he puts up big numbers.

Oh yeah, and Jose Calderon is gone and replaced with a much better insurance point guard in Tim Frazier.

It still remains to be seen whether Kennard will start or come off the bench but I see his best role being alongside Rose on the bench. The bench desperately needs shot creation and Kennard is one of the best creators on the roster, period, and thrives as a pick-and-roll ball-handler.

Even off the bench he will probably play around 30 minutes with most of his minutes being in the second half of the game. Rose and Kennard could very well be the best off-the-bench backcourt in the league and if the bench plays at a fast pace, they could be extremely dangerous to less-talented benches around the league.

As for the small forward position, there are many ways the Pistons could go here. They could go small and play a shooting guard here such as Langston Galloway, Thomas, or newly-signed Big 3 MVP Joe Johnson, but I see them going a different route.

I’m hoping that it’s finally time sharpshooter Mykhailiuk gets his opportunity as this team desperately needs shooting and he can provide it with his insanely sweet stroke. Though Mykhailiuk likely wouldn’t get much run if Doumbouya were to emerge early in the year, but more than likely, he’s going to take a while to get to the point of consistent minutes.

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The Pistons have big upgrades at the backup frontcourt spots with Leuer being traded and Zaza Pachulia hanging it up. They brought in the twin brother of former Piston Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris.

Keef is a huge upgrade at a position the Pistons have really struggled with for a long time. He’s a capable defender, scorer, and shooter. He might be the Pistons best backup power forward since Antonio McDyess. Along with Morris, the Pistons have a developing Maker, who showed potential as a stretch big last year and his unbelievable hustle makes him a competent rim protector. If Griffin were to sit out a game for rest, fans should feel much more comfortable this season with a backup sliding into his position.

Should the Pistons decide to guarantee Wood’s contract, he would be a huge upgrade from the aged Georgian wonder, Pachulia. Wood put up nice numbers in eight games with the Pelicans to end last season, at about 17 points per game, 6 rebounds per game and 1.3 blocks per game, in about 24 minutes of play in those games. If he could put up half these stats in around 15 minutes per game, it would be amazing to have off the bench to give Drummond rest that he couldn’t get last season.

This team on paper is the best team the Pistons have had since the last time they won a playoff game in 2008 and fans should be excited for just how good they could be. If they remain healthy, this team will shock a lot of people around the league and have a real shot of making noise in a weak Eastern Conference.