Who are the long-term bench pieces for the Detroit Pistons?

As with any NBA team, the Detroit Pistons’ starters have received the bulk of the coverage from the media this year. In general, the most talented and exciting players on any NBA squad are featured in the starting lineup. However, bench depth is vital for any team with playoff aspirations.

Coming into the 2021-2022 NBA season, the Detroit Pistons’ bench was considered one of their strengths. Returning players like Cory Joseph, who outplayed expectations when acquired via trade last season, and upward trending young guys like Frank Jackson, Josh Jackson, and Hamidou Diallo, their bench had a bit of a clearer direction than the ultra-young starting lineup.

Add in free agent signing Kelly Olynyk, and it appeared that the Piston’s would be employing perhaps one of the top bench units in the league.

However, not all has gone as planned for Detroit’s second unit nearly 30 games into the season.

Detroit Pistons’ vets hit with the injury bug

The veterans slated to lead the bench, namely Cory Joseph and Kelly Olynyk, have not performed up to expectations for various reasons. CoJo has been the victim of regression following a very solid end to last season. In some cases, his shot making and savvy veteran decision-making kept the Detroit Pistons in games last year.

Unfortunately, his inability to maintain that level of production has negatively impacted this bench’s ability to shoulder the load in the absence of the team’s top scorers. He’s not a particularly solid defender, and without the offensive production where it was, his play is becoming increasingly hard to watch while taking offensive minutes away from other young guards, specifically Saben Lee.

On top of this, Joseph has also dealt with an injured knee.

In the case of Kelly Olynyk, his contributions have been limited by injury. He’s missed the last month and a half, and his presence is sorely missed by this unit. His ability to stretch the floor and facilitate offense with the ball in his hands is virtually irreplaceable. Once he’s cleared to return, it will be a breath of fresh air for this unit that struggles to find offense at times.

While he’s not included in the “bench veteran” category, Jerami Grant’s injury has affected bench production, as his absence pushes another bench contributor into the starting lineup (so far, Hamidou Diallo has gotten the starting nod in every game Grant has missed). As the unit has thinned in the wake of injuries, the Pistons have recently turned to Rodney McGruder to soak up some of the minutes opened up. The results have been shaky at best.