The Detroit Pistons will have to get creative in free agency, and that means taking some risks.
With free agency set to open on October 18th, the Detroit Pistons will look to build off of whoever they end up selecting in the draft. The Pistons will have plenty of money to spend, which opens up dozens of potential options.
Now that they’re in a rebuild, they’re going to have to take some risks. In order to properly navigate this process, teams often pull off a lot of “wow, why would they do that” type of moves. Ones that frustrate the fans and don’t always pan out.
But in the event that they do, taking risks on players who may just need a change of scenery in order to pan out is exactly what Detroit will need to do. Buying low on free agents and draft candidates will likely be the main vessel through which the Pistons pull off their rebuild.
Honorable mention: Harry Giles
Harry Giles likely doesn’t fit under the umbrella of “buying low”. In fact, he could in all likelihood end up being a best case scenario if Detroit is able to sign him this fall. If he’s able to stay healthy, he’d be a home run.
After the Kings declined his team option for 2021 earlier this year, the assumption has been that he’ll sign with a new team once he its the market. The Pistons need to additional front court depth alongside Christian Wood, and Giles would be a perfect match.
An energizer, a quality rebounder, and an ever improving rim protector, Giles found himself in a difficult situation this passed year in Sacramento. Often buried in the rotation behind Richaun Holmes, Dewayne Dedmon, and Alex Len, Giles didn’t get enough opportunity to grow.
With Detroit, he could potentially be a day one starter. Again, not necessarily considering “buying low”, but he does come with the risk of re-injury.
Josh Jackson
After making the All-Rookie team in 2017-2018, it was difficult to get a read on Josh Jackson through his first two years in the league with the Phoenix Suns. He was up, then he was down, then he’d slowly trickle back up.
Some of it felt as it was previously said, that he just needed a change of scenery. Sure enough, he got it when he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. Though he spent a majority of his time there (so far) with their G-League affiliate, he was preforming at a high level.
He averaged 20.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in 26 games. When he was back up with the Grizzlies, his numbers were pretty much cut in half. Still productive, but there was more talent on the floor than just him.
That, and he was taking too many three-pointers. He’s more than capable of making them at an average rate but has trouble picking his spots.
Jackson has a solid (some may say explosive) first step and does a relatively solid job creating for himself. Considering Detroit played a majority of this season with Rose as their sole creator, having more options on the wing would help tremendously.
He’s an alert defender who’s often disrupting passing lanes, and can defend the perimeter well.
Jackson was also nearly a Michigan State recruit. He would have joined Miles Bridges and Cassius Winston in what was deemed “The Class”. Instead, he opted to play his college ball at Kansas.
He’s a Detroit native. The fit makes sense both on and off the floor.
Emmanuel Mudiay
When Emmanuel Mudiay was first signed by the Utah Jazz last summer, it was a head scratcher to many. But, with a limited number of cheap point guard options at the time, the assumption was that Mudiay would be Utah’s fail safe in the event of an injury.
Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. Dante Exum was sidelined for the first few weeks of the season and Mudiay stepped in. Averaging 10.0 points and 3.0 assists on 50.0 percent shooting (all whole numbers, weird) in his first eight games of the season, he was making his presence felt.
Though he tends to go cold or be completely absent all together with his scoring, his court vision seemed to be on a slight incline as the season progressed. He may be plateauing as a facilitator, but he could be a reliable second or third option.
He’s not afraid to push the pace, which could be good for Detroit given the quickness that they have on their roster. He’s never been someone to draw a lot of contact though, which is one of the things that makes Derrick Rose so great.
At the end of the day what Mudiay showed us this season was that he may not be a finished product. He has trouble staying in front of his man on defense and is often turnover prone.
However, if the Pistons hold true to their “draft the best available player” theory, and that happens to not be a point guard, Mudiay could be a relatively safe backup option.
Damyean Dotson
Heading into free agency this fall, Damyean Dotson will be a restricted free agent. He’ll have a qualifying offer worth just over $2 million. So, there’s a chance that Detroit won’t even get the opportunity to pursue him, but if they do it could be well worth it.
Dotson is somewhere between the level of “buying low” and a guy who’s established himself as a quality role player in this league. For all intents and purposes, he’s still a relatively unknown name.
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He’s arguably become the Knicks most consistent player over the passed few seasons, and although his role with the team was inconsistent in his most recent campaign, he’s a solid role player nonetheless.
Dotson is a player who can generally play mistake-free minutes and hit spot-up three-pointers whenever his number is called. Detroit (when at full strength) has some quality shooters on their team, but he could provide more stability off the bench.
What’s weird is that for the most part, he was healthy all season but only appeared in 48 of the 66 games that the Knicks played. Conspirators have suggested that New York was attempting to suppress his value in order to get a better deal for him in free agency.
He’s got a slightly unorthodox release on his jump shot, but it remains effective for the most part. As far as creating space goes, he’s decent, but his high and at times loose dribble tends to hinder his ability to grow.
Dotson is growing into his 3 & D role as his career moves along, and he could be a reliable option for Detroit if the chance presents itself.