It was no secret that the Detroit Pistons were going to trade Jerami Grant, and he was finally dealt to Portland after months of rumors and speculation.
The trade worked out for both teams, as the Trail Blazers got another veteran to go with Damian Lillard, and the Pistons eventually turned that trade into Jalen Duren in the draft.
The Pistons now have one of the best young cores in the NBA, but could struggle initially, as they are very young and Grant was an important part of the team.
He led the Detroit Pistons in scoring two seasons in a row, including last year when he averaged 19.2 points per game.
Someone is going to have to fill that void as the number one scoring option on the team, and there are really only four candidates for the job.
Detroit Pistons: Who will lead the team in scoring?
Alec Burks
Burks would be an extreme long shot to lead the team in scoring next season, though I do think he is going to surprise some people.
Burks will undoubtedly benefit from playing next to two guards that are going to draw double teams, which could lead to a lot of open shots. He will either start, or could be the number one scoring option off the bench, but either way, he should get plenty of looks.
But Burks has never averaged more than 15 a game, and would probably have to jump into 20+ppg to be in the conversation, so even though it is possible the veteran will lead the team, I wouldn’t bet on it.
Saddiq Bey
Bey was third on the Pistons in scoring last season with 16.1 per game, and he could definitely see that number increase as he becomes more efficient and keeps adding to his offensive bag.
Like Burks, Bey is going to be the beneficiary of more open shots as teams put their focus on Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, so if he shoots a higher percentage, I could definitely see him making a leap in year three and getting up over 20 points per game.
But it is also possible he won’t get as many shots with Ivey now in the mix, so I think we’ll see Bey put up slightly better scoring numbers on better efficiency, but probably not enough to lead the team in scoring.
Jaden Ivey
Ivey was an elite scorer in college and should be even better in the pros, as he’ll have more space to operate and teammates who can help utilize his skills.
He has the end-to-end speed to rack up points in a hurry and could have some huge scoring nights for the Detroit Pistons next season.
But he’s also a rookie, so bound to be inconsistent at times, putting up 25 points one night and five the next. That’s just how it goes for rookies.
I think we can expect Ivey to average around 15 per game next season, but that probably won’t be enough to lead the team in scoring. I do think Ivey will get there one day, but not in his first season.
Cade Cunningham
Cade Cunningham is the obvious choice to lead the team in scoring next season, as he was second on the team last year and there is good reason to believe his scoring average is going to go way up.
Cade scored over 17 per game last season but did it on mediocre efficiency, which should improve in year two, as he will be bigger, stronger and more comfortable in the league.
I also think Cunningham is going to get more calls next season, which should lead to an increase in scoring as he gets more freebies at the line.
Jerami Grant is gone, but the Pistons should be able to replace his points with a combination of young guards and wings who are ready to take over the scoring load.