If you had asked me at the beginning of the season if the Detroit Pistons should re-sign Hamidou Diallo my answer would have been, “absolutely not.”
The 7th year pro had shown no growth as a player, was in an out of the rotation and his time with the Detroit Pistons looked to be nearing its end, as he is on an expiring contract and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
But Diallo eventually worked his way back into the rotation (not difficult considering his competition for minutes) and has clearly made his case over the likes of Kevin Knox among others.
The Pistons certainly need more reliable role players around their young core, as they are wasting at least five roster spots on guys who don’t play at all or aren’t very good when they do.
Troy Weaver has taken a lot of flyers on these bench spots and so far none of them have really panned out, so it’s clear they need to put some better adult players around their young core if they really want to be good next season.
The question is whether Hamidou Diallo should be one of them.
Should the Detroit Pistons re-sign Hamidou Diallo?
Diallo is only averaging 8.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game on average this season, so if you just look at his totals, he doesn’t appear to be a guy worth keeping around.
But Diallo’s minutes and numbers have gone way up over the last month, when he is averaging 12.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals in just over 21 minutes per game while shooting an outstanding 69 percent from the field. Diallo has accepted that he can’t shoot the 3-ball and has stopped trying, which is part of the reason for his sky-high shooting percentage.
He will probably never be able to shoot from distance, but what he does bring is a load of energy, athleticism and defense off the bench. He’s still not a great on-the-ball defender, but he is adept at flashing into passing lanes, and once he gets out in transition, Diallo is an almost guaranteed dunk.
He’s one of the few Pistons who has given 100 percent effort every time he steps on the floor and is usually out there whenever Detroit makes a big run. Diallo has plenty of holes in his game, but as a fan, I enjoy watching him play, as his energy and effort are infectious on a team that often lacks it.
Diallo is the only Piston who had a positive net rating in January, he gives a crap and doesn’t back down from anyone, qualities that you love in an energy guy off the bench.
Is all of that worth a new contract? It depends. The Detroit Pistons certainly aren’t going to make Diallo a priority in free agency, as they have bigger holes to fill, but when they are looking to fill out their bench, if he is still available, a deal similar to his last one could end up being a bargain.