The Detroit Pistons will get their training camp started in less than month and there will be plenty at stake for a roster that is mostly fighting for minutes and roles.
There are really only two locks for the opening night starting five with Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey, with everything else likely to be determined by how guys look in training camp, practice and the preseason, as well as how they fit with the rest of the puzzle.
This is especially true at center, where the Pistons have five players who can play the position. I don’t envy coach Dwane Casey, who has to figure out how all of these disparate parts fit.
Isaiah Stewart, Marvin Bagley III, Kelly Olynyk, Nerlens Noel and Jalen Duren will likely all log time at center next season, with Stewart, MBIII and Olynyk likely to lead the way in minutes in that order.
Those three players can all play power forward as well, so coach Casey will be mixing and matching guys until he finds a combination that works. There are several interesting battles brewing within the center group that will be worked out over the course of the season.
Detroit Pistons’ training camp: Battle of the big men
Jalen Duren vs. Nerlens Noel
Noel came over as part of a trade with the Knicks and Duren was drafted 13th overall by Detroit in the 2022 NBA Draft. The two are at opposite ends of their careers, as Noel is a 28-year-old journeyman on his 5th team and Duren is the youngest player in the NBA at just 18-years old.
Noel is also on an expiring deal so is not expected to be part of the long-term plans, while Duren is already considered part of the Detroit Pistons’ young core.
Duren is still very raw, so Noel would probably have more to offer at this point in their careers, as he is an established shot blocker and defender in the NBA, but that is only if the Pistons actually care about wins next season.
I think it’s possible that both players will start the season out of the rotation, but Noel could see minutes early only to be supplanted by Duren later in the season if it is clear that Detroit is out of it.
This s a classic hope vs. veteran situation and if I had to guess, hope will win out in the end.
Detroit Pistons’ training camp: Battle of the big men
Kelly Olynyk vs. Nerlens Noel
If I had to bet, I’d put money down that neither of these players are on the Detroit Pistons by the end of next season, but which will be the first to go?
Of these two, Olynyk probably has more value as a big man who can space the floor, but Noel has also shown that he can be the part-time anchor of a good defense, which contending teams also value.
Both have team-friendly contracts with no long-term obligations, as Olynyk will make $12.8 million next season and only has a partially guaranteed year after that. Noel will take home $9.2 million next season and then has only a team option remaining, so teams could trade for these guys without worrying about paying them in the future.
I think Olynyk will have more value for a couple of reasons. There are more teams looking for shooting than one-dimensional big men, and Olynyk is likely to play more, so his skills will be showcased for teams to see while Noel mostly sits on the bench.
I actually think Olynyk could be a trade target for several contending teams looking to bolster their big man depth and shooting, so I think he’ll be the first center traded unless the Pistons are actually competitive.
Detroit Pistons’ training camp: Battle of the big men
Isaiah Stewart vs. Marvin Bagley III
I think there is a good chance that both of these players are in the starting lineup to start the season, but there are some questions about their long-term fit in the front court.
Neither of them has shown much ability to shoot or spread the floor so far in their careers, though Beef Stew has certainly been working on it and has shown promise at the end of last season and in Summer League.
Bagley III has shown that he can be a dominant post player, but not much of a defender, so it may be best to put him at starting center with Stewart at power forward so that Stew can take on the tougher defensive assignment.
But it seems there will often be mismatches at center defensively, as you’ll either be asking the undersized Stewart to take on a center, or Bagley, who has not yet shown that he can defend starting centers in the NBA.
It may also come down to which of them fits better with the rest of the starting five, and the answer to me is clearly Stewart at this point, as he is more versatile defensively and has the chance to be a better floor spreader.
MBIII may be a better fit with the bench anyway and would allow the Pistons to distribute their limited 3-point shooting more evenly.
In the end, they are both going to play big minutes, often at the same time, but Stewart will likely start more games at center.