It’s time to make this change to the Detroit Pistons depth chart
The Detroit Pistons have 16 games left in the 2021-22 season and a lot of things to figure out.
They are still evaluating the fit between Jerami Grant, Cade Cunningham, and Saddiq Bey, as Grant is a guy the Pistons could trade in the offseason or offer an extension to be part of the future.
They’d love to see more of Marvin Bagley III, so they can make an informed decision whether to offer him a new contract in the offseason or let him walk in free agency.
The Pistons need to see more of Killian Hayes running the show from the bench, and hopefully being more aggressive on offense so that they know where he fits in next season.
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None of these things require any changes to the Pistons’ depth chart, but there is one logical adjustment that should be made for these final 16 games.
It’s time to see more Saben Lee.
Detroit Pistons’ depth chart: Saben Lee needs to join the rotation
Currently the Detroit Pistons are starting veteran Cory Joseph at guard with Cade Cunningham, which hasn’t been the best fit.
Cunningham has no problems playing off the ball, but CoJo is not a great defender and does dribble too much at times, which is not what you want when you have an elite playmaker like Cade on the floor.
Joseph has been competent this season but he is clearly not a big part of the Pistons’ long-term plans at guard.
Saben Lee has arguably been the best player in the entire G-League this season and has earned a chance to show he can do it at the next level. He has gotten better at knowing when to facilitate and when to try and score, and he is at least an on-the-ball pest on defense that offers more than CoJo.
I would love to see the Pistons keep Killian Hayes on the bench, put Saben Lee in the starting lineup with Cade for the final 16 games and see how they mesh.
- Cade Cunningham/Killian Hayes
- Saben Lee/Frank Jackson
- Saddiq Bey/Hamidou Diallo
- Jerami Grant/Marvin Bagley III/Isaiah Livers
- Isaiah Stewart/Kelly Olynyk
This wouldn’t disrupt the progress Hayes has been making since moving to the bench, and would give the Pistons a chance to evaluate how Saben Lee fits and if he can be a part of the rotation next season.
There’s not a compelling reason to keep CoJo in the starting five, and though the Pistons aren’t trying to tank, now is the perfect time to see what they have in Lee, as wins are not necessarily a priority.
He played well last night vs. the Bulls and should start seeing more run as the season winds down.
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