The Detroit Pistons are not a good basketball team and I don’t think that’s a hot take.
I am Homer #1 but the Pistons are quantifiably bad right now and have been for the last 2+ seasons.
They’ve lost eight of nine games, have the second-worst record in the NBA and may end up at the bottom of the league before it is all over.
I thought they would be marginally better this season, but am not surprised it turned out this way, as it is tough to win in the NBA with a young team, and the Pistons weren’t in the financial position to make the kinds of moves last offseason that they would have needed to be good.
But that doesn’t mean the cupboards are bare either, as I think Troy Weaver’s vision is starting to take shape and that the Pistons already have some of the pieces that are required for sustained success.
Their roster isn’t full of stars (yet) but Detroit has some of the parts that are difficult to acquire, so may make the leap sooner than you might think.
The Detroit Pistons have low-contract players who produce
One of the commonalities of good teams (especially ones that aren’t deep into the luxury tax) is that they have players on low-ball contracts who produce.
The Pistons have seemingly found two of those in Frank Jackson and Hamidou Diallo, who have both proven themselves to be valuable players who aren’t making a ton of money (by NBA standards).
Jackson is making $3 million this season and putting up double-digit numbers off the bench, and Diallo is making just over $5 million and also scoring in double figures.
All teams are looking for a “Big 3” of stars who are all likely to be on max contracts, but having quality depth is also important and it’s tough to do both while staying out of the luxury tax.
Having low-cost contracts is crucial (especially for mid-market teams like Detroit) as it allows you to have quality depth after spending most of your money on those three stars.
The Detroit Pistons have two impact role players so far
Another key component to sustained success is having impact role players. There are a lot of guys who are considered role players in the NBA who do not have much of an impact.
Every team has a few (the Pistons definitely included) but one thing you’ll notice about the good teams is that they have role players that actually make a difference.
Whether it is the ability to defend the other team’s star or occasionally win a game with hot shooting, impact role players are guys who are more than just bodies coming off the bench.
The Pistons seemingly have two such players in Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart. Neither of them look like they are going to be stars (though Bey has his moments) but they are both guys who make an impact.
Stewart can be a defensive anchor at times and is least a guy who will be a quality bench big man for years to come.
Bey is an NBA starter, and though I don’t think he can be one of Detroit’s “Big 3,” he is a guy who can occasionally win you a game and will make an impact while he is in there.
Impact role players are almost as important as stars, as they are often paid far less but do things necessary for consistent winning.
The Detroit Pistons have a young star to build around
Unless you are the Lakers and can just buy the free agents you need every offseason, the single most important thing for sustained success is getting a young star to build around and the Pistons finally have one in Cade Cunningham.
It’s been 27 years since Detroit drafted a star, which shows you how hard it is to get one even though Detroit was usually not picking in the top five where stars are normally found in the draft.
Cunningham is the type of player who can take over the game in a number of ways and will make everyone else better, so he in the perfect type of player to build around.
The Pistons have the young star, a few guys outplaying low contracts and two solid role players to build around, so things aren’t as bad as the record might indicate, especially considering getting low-cost production and young stars are the two hardest assets to come by.
Now the Pistons just need that second and third star, and they arguably already have one of them if they decide to keep Jerami Grant.
Hopefully the Pistons will get another one in this year’s draft or in free agency, and they will be on their way to sustained success.
It isn’t going to happen overnight, but some of the pieces of the puzzle of sustained success are already there on Detroit’s table.