3 keys to the Detroit Pistons becoming contenders
Detroit Pistons: Weaver needs to find a third scorer to play alongside Cade Cunningham and Jerami Grant
If Weaver and the Detroit Pistons front office want to truly compete for a championship, the team will have to add a third scorer to complement Cade Cunningham and Grant.
Most contending squads have at least three players who can be go-to scorers when called upon. The 2021 NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday. The Los Angeles Lakers now have Lebron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. The Phoenix Suns have Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton.
The Pistons do not need three superstars to become contenders, but, having an extra guy who they can rely on to get tough buckets would go a long way towards the team competing for championships.
In an ideal scenario, the trio of scorers for Detroit would result in Grant becoming the third option, behind Cunningham and the other scorer. Grant has surprised the league by becoming an over 20 point-per-game scorer last season. But the 27-year-old did so on poor efficiency.
Taking a massive scoring load off of Grant, while still being one of the team’s leading scorers would allow the forward to be a more efficient scorer, and maximize his defensive abilities as well.
There are many ways Detroit can find this third scorer: draft, trade, free agency or in-house development.
The best in-house candidate for Detroit would be Bey.
The rookie scored 12.2 points per game last season while shooting an efficient 38 percent from beyond the arc. But the 22-year-old projects to be a very high-end role player and sharpshooter in the NBA, not a go-to scorer despite being, for a brief time, a member of the USA Olympic team.
Related Story. How Kelly Olynyk will help Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes. light
Other members of Detroit’s roster also project to be at most role-players, albeit good ones, in the league.
The draft is another possibility, but Weaver is unlikely to find himself with a top-three pick in the draft again. The addition of Cunningham and the further development of Detroit’s young players will likely place them closer to the Play-in tournament rather than the bottom of the league standings.
Detroit only owns the rights to their first-round pick next offseason if they are still in the top 16 picks of the NBA Draft. If the team finishes higher their pick will go to the Houston Rockets.
It is likely the team will finish with a top 16 pick next year, but with a placement that will most likely fall outside of the top 5, so a high-end scorer via draft selection will be harder to project. Given Weaver’s strong draft record, it is not unforeseeable that he finds a bucket getter in the draft, but there is no guarantee.
Trade is an easy way to bring a scorer onto the roster, but Weaver would have to send away draft picks and prospects to the trade partners in order to bring in a great scorer. The GM will not want to sacrifice all of his roster’s depth in a trade. Trade is the fastest way to bring in a scorer, but finding the right package will be difficult.
Free agency could be the hardest way for Weaver to bring in a top-end scorer. Detroit is not exactly a highly-desired free agency destination. Weaver was able to bring Grant onto the roster with the promise of an expanded role in Detroit, but bringing in a proven scorer would be harder to accomplish.
If Weaver is willing to play the long game, he could pursue Jaylen Brown in the 2024 offseason. Brown has grown into an over 20-point per game scorer in recent years. The Pistons recently brought in former Celtics assistant coach Jerome Allen to join Casey’s staff.
Allen reportedly has a very good relationship with Brown. Once his contract is up, it is possible the 24-year-old wing player could desire to reunite with his former assistant in Detroit.
Whatever method Weaver ends up going with, the Pistons’ need for a third scorer is apparent. Cunningham and Grant will not be able to take on the entire scoring load for Detroit. Having a third player who can create their own scoring opportunities will be imperative to Detroit’s hopes for contention.