The Detroit Pistons may be near the bottom of the NBA but they are an entertaining team with plenty to play for.
Not only are they trying to secure a top pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, but they have a number of players who are competing for future roster spots.
There are at least three positional battles that will play out over the remainder of the season that will determine who gets traded, re-signed or allowed to walk in free agency.
Two new faces are already making their case to be part of the roster next season, one guy is just trying to get on the floor and a trio of point guards continue to battle it out for minutes.
Aside from the draft, these battles will be the most important stories heading into the offseason.
Here are three internal competitions to watch and who is currently winning.
Detroit Pistons: Tyler Cook vs. Sekou Doumbouya
Tyler Cook just signed his second 10-day contract with the Detroit Pistons and has played well enough to earn himself some minutes.
Cook only played 13 minutes against the Raptors but was able to grab six rebounds and add two assists and a steal to his three points.
Cook has showed enough to continue to get minutes and since he is only 23-years-old, might be worth a flyer for the Detroit Pistons heading into next season.
Sekou Doumbouya is a guy who I’d love to see actually get some playing time but he caught another DNP against the Raptors.
He is clearly in Dwane Casey’s doghouse, as the second-year player can’t get off the bench even though the Pistons are rebuilding and not really even trying to win these games.
It’s disappointing that Doumbouya hasn’t progressed this season and that he has already lost his mop-up duty minutes to a guy the Pistons just grabbed off the street.
That isn’t a good sign for Doumbouya, who very well may be traded in the offseason.
Advantage: Tyler Cook