The Detroit Pistons will enjoy a week off to regroup and practice before resuming the season after All-Star break for the final 23 games.
As one of the worst teams in the NBA, they have plenty to work on and have a new player, James Wiseman, to work into the rotation to see how he fits with their other bigs.
Wiseman has been compared to Marvin Bagley III, and there are some similarities in their games, especially around the rim, but Wiseman has already shown a higher ceiling on defense, and also has better handles, so there is some hope that he can play as a four alongside another big man.
While there is plenty to look forward to and analyze in the home stretch, there are also some things that many fans (myself included) would not like to see in the final games of the season.
Detroit Pistons: Cory Joseph
Cory Joseph was a reliable veteran hand off the bench last season, when he shot over 40 percent from 3-point range and gave the Detroit Pistons a player who could help out in a pinch, run the offense in stretches and be a good mentor to their young guards, which is exactly what you want out of a third point guard type.
But CoJo has fallen off this season, especially of late, as he is averaging just 4.1 points and 3.7 assists over his last 20 games while playing an inexplicable 16+ minutes per game. The worst part is his shooting splits, as he is shooting just 32 percent overall in that stretch and just 23.8 percent from long range.
It’s time to put Joseph out to pasture, as the Detroit Pistons have two young guards in Jaden Ivey and Killian Hayes who can handle big minutes and they’d be better off either giving Joseph’s minutes to them or to bring someone up from the G-League.
The Pistons failed to move Joseph at the deadline, and he is on an expiring contract and unlikely to return, so it’s time to give those minutes to someone else.