Cory Joseph is not the problem with the Detroit Pistons

Every year fans of the Detroit Pistons seem to choose one guy on which to focus their ire.

Last season it was Mason Plumlee, the center who was “taking minutes” from Isaiah Stewart (boy could the Pistons use Plumlee now!) and this year the honor falls on Cory Joseph.

I should first start by saying that I am not a huge CoJo backer and I do think it is time to see what Saben Lee can do at the NBA level.

I should also say that G-League stat-stuffing means absolutely nothing when it comes to the NBA, so even though I would like to see Lee get some run, I am not delusional about what that is going to look like.

I would have liked to see Lee last night when the Warriors’ speedy guards were getting open shots all night. Who knows, maybe he could have made the difference, I am not ruling it out.

Cory Joseph certainly hasn’t been spectacular this season, and I have no problem calling him out at times, but he is not the problem and the Pistons have usually played better when he is on the floor, which was the case last night, when the Pistons were getting trounced early before foul trouble sent Killian Hayes to the bench in favor of Joseph.

He settled the offense down the Pistons made a nice comeback. Joseph ended up playing 30 minutes (not ideal for anyone) and was +8 on the night. He wasn’t great, but he wasn’t the reason the Pistons lost the game.

Yet, if you went on Twitter this morning (big mistake) you’d think CoJo was singlehandedly losing these games, as all I see are things like “Get Cory Joseph off my screen!” “I HATE watching Cory Joseph play!” etc…

Here are the most common complaints and why they are wrong.

Detroit Pistons: Cory Joseph is taking minutes from Saben Lee!

Is he?

Saben Lee has been dominant in the G-League but so have a LOT of other guys who never sniffed an NBA rotation.

Like I said, I am all for Lee getting some minutes, but it’s not as if the Detroit Pistons want to lose these games. If they thought Lee gave them a better chance to win, he’d be in there.

If Cory Joseph is so bad, why can’t Saben Lee take HIS minutes? CoJo was signed by the Pistons to play 15-20 minutes per night as a stabilizing veteran off the bench and has done his job.

He’s not flashy and he does dribble too much, but he also sets up teammates, settles the offense down and essentially does his job.

When Lee can do it better, he’ll get those minutes, and right now the coaches don’t think that’s the case.

The Detroit Pistons should be focused on development!

I am getting sick of this one to be honest. Yes, the Pistons are a young team and one of the goals of this season is to get their young guys reps obviously.

But that doesn’t mean you stop trying to win games.

Part of development is learning how to win and how to compete night after night. Veteran players like Cory Joseph tend to give consistent effort and show the young guys how to be a professional, something the Pistons desperately need to learn, as they are a different team from night to night.

I personally don’t want prized rookie Cade Cunningham spending his entire first season getting blown out and learning how to lose. The fact is that Cory Joseph helped keep the Pistons in the game last night and gave them a chance to tie it at the buzzer.

Young players on the bench like Saben Lee and Luka Garza are like backup QB’s on a struggling NFL team. The mystery of the unknown is sexier than the reality that these guys are on the bench for a reason. Fans calling for more minutes for these two should go back and watch film of Garza’s seven minutes last night and count how many layups the Warriors had in that span.

The unknown is usually known to the people who watch these guys play every day.

I am sure there are going to be a lot of attacks in the comments section, so go back to the beginning or read this: I WANT SABEN LEE TO PLAY.

And he will.

But right now the Pistons are trying to learn how to be more consistent, how to be professional basketball players and how to get a win and Cory Joseph does not hurt those goals.

I hope to see less of him as the season goes on, but if you think Cory Joseph is the reason the Pistons are bad, you’re just wrong.