A way-too-early projection of 15-man Detroit Pistons roster

Who will be part of the ‘bench gang’ for the Detroit Pistons next season?

The Detroit Pistons were not good at much this past season, but getting scoring off the bench was one thing they did well. Coach Casey also has said he wants to add outside shooting to the team.

We kept this in mind when putting the top five players who will come off the bench.

Hamiduo Diallo

It was a tantalizing trade when Detroit traded for Hamiduo Diallo on March 13. Outside of being unable to hit from outside, Diallo is everything a team could want in a wing.

Very athletic, the 6-foot-5 third-year player plays very well on defense and attacks the basket on offense with speed and ferocity. By the time Diallo arrived, the Pistons lineup was depleted and Diallo had plenty of chances to shine.

Suddenly, Diallo was able to become a three-point threat, sinking 39% of his threes in Detroit after averaging 26.2% for his career.

Only 23-years-old, Diallo could certainly be part of the young core of the Pistons, particularly if his three-point shooting was not a fluke.

Diallo is a restricted free agent, meaning Detroit can match any offer and retain him. The question is, how much are the Pistons willing to pay to keep  Diallo?

Diallo and Josh Jackson, who had his big moments for Detroit this season as well, basically play the same position. Jackson is under contract (at a reasonable $5 million) for next year.

Either Jackson or Diallo will not be back. Reading the tea leaves, if Weaver was happy with Jackson, he does not trade for Diallo. So, unless Diallo receives a totally outrageous offer, he will be with Detroit next season.

Wayne Ellington

The veteran three-point specialist signed with the Pistons just days before the start of training camp. That is  an NBA sign for he did not have many other options.

But for much of the season, Wayne Ellington was looking more like Steph Curry rather than a 33-year-old who had been scuffling for a job.

The 6-foot-4, 12-year veteran also proved to be better on defense than expected. Ellington was also a good locker room guy, important with a team composed mostly of young players.

Ellington finished the season making 42.2% of his threes, only a couple hundredths of point below his career-best, and on a good volume of six attempts a game. He started 31 of the 46 games he played, so he was guarded by starters most of the time.

GM Troy Weaver has hinted he likes Ellington’s game, as well as his positive influence in the locker room.

Ellington is an unrestricted free agent, and a shooter is always valuable in the three-point crazy NBA. However, while in the middle of his hottest-shooting streak, pointedly Weaver chose not to trade Ellington. That could be taken as a sign Weaver wants Ellington back.

Ellington can go anywhere he wants. He proved this past season he could still play but he is also a year older, so his value on the open market is unknown.

Best bet is, if can get a guaranteed contract for the minimum, Ellington will be back in Detroit.

Frank Jackson

Much like Tyler Cook, Frank Jackson has bounced around the fringes of the NBA. The first pick in the second round of the 2017 draft, Jackson has 12 official NBA transactions in his career.

He received a belated Christmas present by signing a two-way contract with the Pistons on December 27. With the pandemic, two-way players were allowed to be part of the main club, so Jackson was basically on Detroit’s roster.

Jackson is only 6-3 (even with big hair) and had been seen solely as a point guard. However, he reinvented himself in Detroit. On a team desperate for scoring, particularly from the outside, Jackson became instant offense off the bench.

Jackson averaged 9.8 points in Detroit, after having a 7.2 points average before coming there. A career 31.9% three-point shooter, Jackson suddenly found a shooting touch, canning 40.7% of his three-point shots. Four times Jackson scored 20 or more points.

Coach Casey likes having a lot of ballhandlers on the floor and has said he is looking for more outside shooting next season. Jackson checks off both boxes.

As a two-way player, Jackson became a free agent at the end of the season. However, he carved out himself a niche in Detroit, and players like Jackson are always looking for a place they will be comfortable.

He will not cost a lot of money. If Weaver is interested in bringing him back, Jackson would be crazy to say no.

Cory Joseph

Basically a throw-in to match salary in the Delon Wright trade, Cory Joseph played well when he arrived in Detroit on March 25 and has turned himself into a keeper.

A career 7-points a game scorer, Joseph averaged 12 points for Detroit. He was sort of too good, as he scored 18 points in a late season win over Memphis that almost cost the Pistons some lottery ping pong balls.

A 6-foot-3 combo guard, Joseph also helped mentor young guards like Killian Hayes and Saben Lee.

Joseph is part of no youth movement. He is 29-years-old and has a ring from his time with San Antonio. Joseph also played for Casey in Toronto, so he knows the Pistons system.

GM Troy Weaver has stated he wants veterans on the team. Two veteran guards, Joseph and Rodney McGruder, each have team options this summer. We are going to project they keep Joseph.

Isaiah Stewart

Although some people already have Isaiah Stewart in the Hall of Fame, he is still a young player who showed promise but still needs seasoning.

Yes, Stewart did well for a rookie. But, he only averaged 7.9 points and 6.7 rebounds, hardly eye-catching numbers.

Stewart is 6-foot-8 and has mostly played center in his career (they tried him a little bit at power forward at the end of the season, but not enough to make a proper evaluation). He also made just 33-percent of his three-point shots, so he is not, yet, an outside threat.

We are not knocking Stewart. We love ‘Beef Stew’ too, just injecting some realism.

The bottom line is, as long as Mason Plumlee is on the team, he will start at center. If Detroit is looking to move up in the standings, he should. Plumlee is great at the little things, like passing and setting screens, that Stewart has not refined yet.

He may not start, but you can still expect Stewart to get plenty of playing time in the upcoming season.