The exciting and the scary lurking in the Detroit Pistons’ future

Detroit Pistons: Some long-term concerns

The defense

If the Detroit Pistons don’t get some players who can defend the wing, it doesn’t really matter how good their offense is, and right now it’s hard to see where those players are going to come from.

The Pistons have committed to both Saddiq Bey and Bojan Bogdanovic, neither of whom are great defenders. I think it’s safe to say that their wing stopper is not currently on the roster and that one of the two players I just mentioned is going to have to move to the bench or get traded at some point.

There are some possibilities in free agency, but one player is probably not enough to solve these defensive woes, and the roster as currently constructed just isn’t good enough defensively. Where is that wing stopper going to come from? That is the biggest question Troy Weaver has to answer right now and for the long-term future.

Another tear down?

If Detroit continues to lose, there is going to be temptation to move players like Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and maybe even Bogdanovic at the deadline. If they do, where does that leave the team? Right back to where they were last offseason, with a “promising” young core, another incoming teenaged draft pick, a bunch of money and no quality veterans.

If Detroit really wants to attract players, they need to at least be showing they are trying to win. I’d much rather they hold onto Burks and Bogs (can trade them at next trade deadline) and shed players like Hamidou Diallo, Kevin Knox, Rodney McGruder and Cory Joseph and replace them with guys who can actually play.

If Detroit goes into full tank mode for Wembanyama and then doesn’t get him, we’ll be right back here next year, talking about how promising all of this young talent is as they get blown out.

Ultimately, I do think the future is bright in Detroit, even if they can’t turn it around this year, but process towards contention is not a given, and they still have a lot of work to do on this roster.