Are Pistons getting ‘Thingamajig’?

A report has the Detroit Pistons interested in signing free agent guard Victor Oladipo. To fans of the show ‘The Masked Singer’ he is better known as ‘Thingamajig’, where he proved he could really sing, as well as shoot.

Meet the possible new starting guard for the Detroit Pistons:

Certainly has the length coach Dwane Casey likes. Let’s see Steph Curry shoot over this.

OK, seriously, according to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Pistons are among the teams in the hunt for Oladipo, a former two-time All-Star guard who played last season for the Miami Heat.

Here is the relevant section of his overall very informative article:

"Victor Oladipo is not expected to return to the Heat and is said to have interest from Washington, Denver and Detroit, in the salary range of the taxpayer MLE."

As many NBA fans know, Oladipo at one time was recognized as one of the best two-guards in the league. However, he suffered a terrible leg injury, rupturing his quad tendon, in January, 2019 while playing for the Indiana Pacers.

In the three seasons since, the 6-foot-4 Oladipo has played only a total of 52 regular season games. After being with Miami last season, Oladipo is an unrestricted free agent.

During his rehab, Oladipo participated in the popular TV show ‘The Masked Singer’. It is a contest in which the contestants sing while covered up in a costume with phony names. Oladipo’s character was called ‘Thingamajig’ and, for a non-professional, surprisingly went pretty far. He can really sing.

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Detroit, having finished next to last in three-point shooting, certainly is looking to add perimeter scoring, so Oladipo’s skills certainly could be used.

Pistons general manager Troy Weaver said after the draft, that adding shooting was a priority for the team. Detroit got one veteran shooter in Alec Burks as part of a trade with the Knicks. Why not another?

As for the other teams involved with Oladipo, the Nuggets have Jamal Murray at shooting guard and the Wizards have some guy named Bradley Beal there, so a starting position is probably not possible on either team. Detroit? Heck, Cory Joseph was their starting two-guard last season.

Here are the pros and cons of Detroit Pistons signing Victor Oladipo:

Pros:

• If he can regain his past form, you have an All-Star guard for cheap. With Cade Cunningham, they could form one of the top backcourts in the NBA.
• Oladipo will not be that expensive. He might go for a one-year ‘prove it’ deal, which gives Detroit flexibility for the following season.
• In an emergency, Detroit always has someone who can sing the National Anthem.

Cons:

• Would take playing time away from Jaden Ivey, who needs to get NBA experience.
• Already have vets in the backcourt with Burks, Joseph and Hamidou Diallo. How many experienced guards does a rebuilding team need?
• Oladipo is 30, so he does not fit the timeline of the Pistons young core.

Getting Victor Oladipo would be a low-risk, high-reward move by Detroit. In a league desperate for shooting, Weaver could probably move him if he needed to, so no real downside in getting him.