3 takeaways from Pistons’ wild comeback win over the Kings

Win shows why teams need veteran players

The Detroit Pistons won last night behind big efforts from CoJo, Kelly Olynyk, Trey Lyles and Rodney McGruder, the four oldest players on their team.

I admit that I have had my share of criticism of all of these guys but last night showed why it’s near-impossible to win with a team of only young guys as some Pistons’ fans would prefer.

I get that young players provide hope for a better future, and when your team stinks, hope is all you have.

But so many fans are ready to push Jerami Grant out the door in exchange for more draft picks and more young players, which I understand, but is not going to make the Pistons good anytime soon.

This idea of “timeline” is so ridiculous, as most of the best players in the league are older, and none of the good teams have a roster full of guys who are all the same age.

You need a mix of youth and experience to win in the NBA and that’s a fact. Not only from a basketball perspective but from a financial one, as you can’t have every guy on your roster due for a contract extension in the same year.

Most players don’t really show who or what they are going to be until they are 24 or 25 years old, and I am personally not willing to wait another five years for the Pistons to be good, which means they can’t just keep trading away every veteran they have for more draft picks and projects.

All of us have been guilty of undervaluing what veterans bring to the table (myself included) and while having young ascending players is great, you also need a few guys who know what they are doing and have the experience to win games.