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

Long-term bench pieces for the Detroit Pistons

While it’s nice to receive a boost from any bench player, the Piston’ should be looking to construct a long-term bench unit that can have the opportunity develop chemistry and cohesion as this team rebuilds. Which begs the question, which players should be viewed as long-term bench pieces, and which players are rentals at this stage?

I believe that Frank Jackson, Saben Lee, and Hamidou Diallo are all fantastic options for players that can lead a successful bench unit to provide a spark for the Pistons when they hopefully have fielded a team worthy of playoff contention. The front office should do whatever they can to hold onto these guys as the rebuild progresses, as Frank Jackson has the makings of a potential 6MOTY candidate, and both Lee and Diallo are uber-athletic guys who can handle the ball, play scrappy defense, and find ways to put the ball in the basket despite a lack of high-level outside shooting.

Guys like Trey Lyles and Josh Jackson are  guys who could potentially stay as long-term bench options, but may not be prioritized as highly as the other 3 mentioned. Like I discussed with Lyles, he’s been a solid contributor and is still relatively young, but his play is limited by below-average defense and overall offensive consistency. Josh Jackson provides instant offense and above average defense, with the ability to defend multiple positions. That being said, he’s plagued with similar offensive consistency issues as Lyles, and is also the victim of a bit of a logjam at the backup wing spots.

As for the rest of the potential bench pieces – guys like Isaiah Livers, Luka Garza, and Jamorko Pickett – we just haven’t seen them enough against NBA competition to really make long-term projections. Garza has gotten the most playing time out of this bunch, but he’s glaring issues on the defensive end that would need to be addressed. Unless he’s able to shore up his defensive impact and morph into a net-positive due to his offensive abilities, it’s hard to see him doing enough to negate his defensive deficiencies.

The Pistons have an intriguing collection of guys that could have a long future here in Detroit. It will be very interesting to see how the bench is able to evolve and take form as the rebuild progresses.