The Detroit Pistons finished Summer League on a high note and are now ready for the offseason grind.
The roster is more or less set, though we still don’t know the fate of restricted free agent Hamidou Diallo, who could still re-sign with the Pistons.
There are a few roster spots that are set in stone. We know Cade Cunningham, Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Kelly Olynyk will be the core of the team and that Killian Hayes, Josh Jackson and Frank Jackson will play big roles as well.
After that, the rotation is still unclear and there are going to be some fierce battles for spots and minutes this offseason and well into the regular season.
These roster battles represent the classic “Young high ceiling talent vs. Reliable but mediocre veteran” variety and will be conversations that the Detroit Pistons will likely be having all season.
Let’s take a look at the three closest roster battles as of right now.
Detroit Pistons: Saben Lee vs. Cory Joesph
Saben Lee is a 2nd-round pick who has outplayed his draft position and got himself a contract after a strong rookie season.
He also had a very good Summer League, so Saben will be on the Pistons’ radar. In fact, this roster battle may end up coming down to Lee vs. Killian Hayes, as the former has outplayed the latter so far in their young careers though Hayes probably has more upside.
For now, Lee will battle it out for the 3rd point guard position with veteran Cory Joseph, who played well for the Detroit Pistons after coming over in the trade for Delon Wright.
Joseph is a steadying hand off the bench, can score and create and won’t take much off the table. But Lee is a high-flying athlete who can beat defenders off the dribble, get in the lane and set up teammates.
Their styles are very different but Lee has the higher ceiling, so this one will probably come down to whether Lee can shoot the ball well enough. Lee is a better creator but Joseph is a better 3-point shooter.
We’ll probably see plenty of each but for now I will give the nod to Joseph just because Dwane Casey is going to want at least one veteran guard coming off the bench.
Advantage: Cory Joseph