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.
Detroit Pistons: Marvin Bagley III playing power forward or shooting 3-pointers
One of the biggest question marks of the season is what the Pistons starting lineup and depth chart is going to look like once Marvin Bagley III returns.
I wouldn’t even count on MBIII returning, though he has been spotted getting shots up before games, so hopefully he’ll be able to get some reps before the season ends. But given his history, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we didn’t see Bagley again this season, which makes his fit irrelevant.
But if MBIII does return, we don’t need any more experimenting with him at the power forward position and we certainly don’t need to see his alleged “range” from behind the 3-point line.
Bagley is shooting 28.9 percent from 3-point range for his career, so it’s safe to say that he is not going to be a stretch four anytime soon and if he wants to work on that part of his game, it should be in the offseason.
He is shooting over 70 percent around the rim though, so MBIII can be a very effective post scorer in spurts and that is exactly what he should be. Wiseman has a much better change of evolving into an Evan Mobley-type power forward and it is much more important to see his fit with Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart.
Bagley should just be the third center who comes in and adds a spark of offense, as he can’t defend the perimeter, nor shoot from there, but is an offensive weapon around the rim.
Detroit Pistons: Killian Hayes in the starting lineup
I know a lot of people will disagree with this one and there is evidence to support their case, as Killian Hayes has been much better as a starter this season than he has coming off the bench.
But there are also very good reasons to move him back to the bench for the remainder of the season:
- Jaden Ivey needs more reps as an initiator and ball handler. He played well in that role when Hayes went to the bench and has played better alongside Alec Burks in the starting lineup.
- Killian Hayes needs to get used to a bench role because that is the only way he’s going to have a future with the Detroit Pistons. When Cade Cunningham returns, Hayes is going back to the bench, so why not start acclimating him right away?
- Hayes should get reps in the pick-and-role with James Wiseman. Wiseman was not very effective in the Warriors’ offensive scheme, so they did adjust in the limited minutes he saw with the team, going with more pick-and-roll plays, which is one area where he allegedly excels. The same can be said for Hayes (though it’s more theory than reality at this point). Wiseman may end up starting with Jalen Duren at some point, but for now, if he continues to come off the bench, it would benefit both him and Hayes to get some run together to see if they can form chemistry.
The Detroit Pistons don’t have many games left to experiment and see what works heading into the most important offseason of Troy Weaver’s time with the team. They should spend it on important issues they need to iron out, not waste more time with things that won’t be part of the future.