The Detroit Pistons are rapidly running out of big men and may need to add one to the roster.
Marvin Bagley III recently had surgery on his hand and will miss most or all of the season, and now rookie Jalen Duren has gone down with an ankle injury, though it reportedly isn’t serious and he is listed as day to day.
That leaves just Isaiah Stewart (who has played more at power forward this season) and veteran Nerlens Noel, who has barely played at all this season, has looked washed when he has and has reportedly asked to be traded, which won’t be easy considering his contract and lack of production.
The Detroit Pistons don’t really have a center on their G-League squad, though they could call up 6-foot-7 Devontae Cacok or two-way contract Jared Rhoden, which might be their best option.
The Detroit Pistons don’t have a roster spot, so they’d have to cut someone to add a free agent, though they could ditch Buddy Boeheim and use his wasted two-way contract to grab an unassigned G-League center.
Here are three young players that might be worth a flyer and who would at least give Detroit some insurance against further injuries to their bigs. None of them are particularly exciting, but at this point, some fresh blood would be welcome.
Detroit Pistons: Possible free-agent centers
According to Hoops Wire, there are a number of available free-agent centers. Most of them are older veterans like LaMarcus Aldridge and Dwight Howard, but there are a few young players that might be worth a look.
Makur Maker
The cousin of former Pistons Thon Maker, Makur Maker plays for Capital City of the G-League. He isn’t putting up big numbers, but he was once a five-star recruit coming out of high school before injuries disrupted his career. He’s just under seven-feet and can block shots and theoretically knock down 3-pointers, though he’s done little of it. This would be a complete roll of the dice similar to the trade the Pistons tried (and failed) to make for Bol Bol last season. He’s tall with some skill, though he is very raw. He’s only 22-years-old and did show some promise in his year in Australia.
Trevion Williams
Williams was a four-year center for Purdue who won the Big 10 sixth man of the year as a tough, post-dominant center. He currently plays for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the G-League, where he is putting up 10 points and 10 rebounds per game. He’s a big center at 6-foot-10, 265 lbs. who can grab rebounds, block shots and knock down an occasional 3-pointer. He’s more of a traditional center, but Williams is a good passer for his size and has been expanding his range. His biggest attribute would come on the defensive boards.
Daniel Oturu
Oturu showed big promise for the Windy City Bulls last season, averaging 20 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 63 percent overall and 37.5 percent from the 3-point line. He is more of a tweener, as he is 6-foot-8 but he has a long wingspan and is very quick for his size. The 23-year-old played 30 games for the Clippers as a rookie, so has some NBA experience. He does have a decent mid-range jumper and can grab some rebounds, so might be worth a flyer.
None of these players are going to make the Detroit Pistons good, but injuries may force Detroit to do something at center, as they are getting thin and are one injury away from disaster, though in this season, it would be hard to tell the difference.