The Detroit Pistons are on the cusp of their third awful season in a row, but there is hope on the horizon.
They finally have a young star to build around in Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey looks like a foundational piece and Isaiah Stewart has improved over the course of the season as well.
The Pistons have some of the pieces teams need to be good, so hopefully this will be the last season when fans are paying more attention to lottery odds than the playoffs.
Troy Weaver has a vision for this team but so far his job has mostly been to get rid of dead weight, gather assets and try to get young talent that could blossom into stars.
He’s cleared the cap sheet, has a couple of young talents, but this is the offseason he’ll be judged on, as it will be the most crucial one in years for the Detroit Pistons.
Another 20-win season next year is unacceptable, so the Pistons need a big offseason to ensure they take the next logical step on their timeline for contention.
The Detroit Pistons need growth from their young stars
Detroit already has a couple of promising young talents, but they still need a lot of improvement if they are going to be the core of a playoff team.
The Pistons will need internal development from these three guys or it might not matter what type of offseason additions they make.
Cade Cunningham
I think Cade has been as good or better than advertised and has shown he can be the guy the Pistons build around.
He is versatile enough to be your leading scorer and facilitator, can play multiple positions and his skill set will allow the Pistons to just add the best players and not worry about fit.
However, he does need to improve in some areas. The first is that he needs to get stronger, which I think will help him improve in two areas.
More lower body strength will help him hit more of the 3-point shots that he is leaving short right now, and more upper body strength will make him stronger with the ball and reduce his turnovers.
Most NBA players put on strength in their first few years in the league and I can’t wait to see Cade next season. Be prepared NBA, because this guy is driven, wants to be great and knows where he needs to improve.
Saddiq Bey
Bey has added nuance to his offensive game, but I think he’ll be even more reliable in the post and mid-range next season when he adds more strength this offseason.
Bey really just needs to get more efficient and consistent, as he has steadily improved since coming into the league and has made himself the Pistons’ second option on offense.
He experimented a lot at the beginning of this season, which has led to a dip in his shooting numbers, but next season he should be able to make the leap in year three, as he’ll be stronger and now knows what he can be as a player.
Isaiah Stewart
A lot of Pistons’ fans do not believe in Beef Stew as a starting NBA center and I can see why. He is very strong but undersized and has little to offer on offense.
I am not as worried, as I do think he has been strong down the stretch, and has shown the defensive concerns aren’t as pronounced as we might have thought.
However, he absolutely must improve his jumper, hands and his ability to work in the pick and roll. Right now Cade and Killian Hayes are leaving a ton of assists on the table because Beef Stew has hands like oven mitts and often fumbles what should be easy dunks after getting slick interior passes from the guards.
I still like his future with the team, but this will be a make or break offseason for Stewart when it comes to his chances to retain his role in the starting lineup. The best bet might be for the Pistons to go with a center by committee approach and find another big who can offset some of Stew’s weaknesses.
This offseason will be of the utmost importance for the Pistons’ internal development, which will ultimately by the key to sustained success.
Troy Weaver has some tough decisions that will affect the Pistons’ future
I don’t envy Troy Weaver this offseason, as he is going to have some tough decisions to make that will ultimately decide the future course of the franchise.
The Pistons have six team options to decide on this offseason and there is a good chance that a lot of them will not be back with the team.
Will they keep Frank Jackson? Is Hamidou Diallo part of the future? Will the Pistons extend Killian Hayes or let him play out his contract?
But no decision is more important than the future of Jerami Grant.
I have made the case for keeping Grant and making him the 3rd option until they either land another star free agent or add another star-level talent in the draft.
Trading Grant for another lottery pick is tempting, but also risky, as it would likely set the Pistons up for another losing season and would put all of their eggs in the basket of “hope” instead of known production.
But I totally get the argument for trading him, as the Pistons haven’t been good with him, he’s due for an extension and possible raise and it might be smarter to take another guy who is similar in age to the young core.
This is the decision that will ultimately decide Troy Weaver’s fate with the Pistons. If he extends Grant and his production falls off as his salary increases, he could damage Detroit’s chances to land another star in free agency.
If he trades Grant and that other lottery pick is a bust and the Pistons win 20 games again next season while Jerami thrives in Portland, fans might start to get restless with the lack of progress.
Like I said, I don’t envy him this offseason.
The Detroit Pistons need more talent
Regardless of what the Pistons decide to do with Jerami Grant, they need to add more talent this offseason in the draft and free agency.
Obviously, Detroit would love to land a top-3 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, get a guy like Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren or Jaden Ivey, who can be the third piece with Cade and Saddiq for the long term, with Grant or without him.
But it doesn’t end there, as this team is still not deep enough and simply needs more talent across the board.
Troy Weaver has to decide whether to pursue a guy like Deandre Ayton or Miles Bridges to be that guy, but if he doesn’t think they are worth the price (or the most likely scenario, they don’t want to leave their current teams) then he has to be willing to be patient and not waste money on free agents who don’t move the needle.
Knowing when to walk away is going to be critical this offseason, as they can’t get in a Ben Gordon/Charlie Villaneuva scenario where they overpay a mediocre player just to do something in free agency.
Put it this way, if it comes down to keeping Jerami Grant at $25 million a season or paying Miles Bridges $30 million a season, just stick with Grant or walk away from both of them.
What Troy Weaver decides not to do this offseason will be equally important as the things he does.
This is the offseason where the Deroit Pistons have to make the leap and that starts with internal development, making tough decisions and most importantly, not making the wrong ones.