The Detroit Pistons are in the home stretch with nothing to play for but lottery position and trying out players for next season.
Detroit already got a head start on that by trading for James Wiseman, which has been promising in the four games so far, as he has flashed some of the talent that made him the #2 overall pick in the 2020 Draft.
The Pistons recently signed waiver pick up RJ Hampton to a two-year deal, continuing Troy Weaver’s fascination with taking flyers on former first-round picks that haven’t worked out for one reason or another.
Detroit also bought out Nerlens Noel, which leaves one open roster spot that they could fill in a number of ways. While the Pistons are unlikely to find a star, there’s no reason to keep running out guys like Rodney McGruder and Cory Joseph, and they may as well try out some younger players who still have upside.
Here are six players who are worthy of a 10-day contract and a chance to make next year’s team.
Detroit Pistons: Options for the open roster spot
KZ Okpala
Okpala is a 6-foot-8 forward with a ridiculous 7-foot-2 wingspan who has yet to make much of an impact in his four-year career. He is still just 23-years-old and appeared in 35 games this season for Sacramento. He’s not much of a shooter, but has some upside as a defender because of that length. The Detroit Pistons need more long, athletic forwards, so he might be worth a look.
Moses Brown
The 23-year-old Brown played 34 games for the Clippers this season and has also seen time with OKC and Dallas since originally being drafted by Portland. Brown is a guy I’ve written about before, as he is an athletic 7-foot-2 center who can block shots and grab rebounds. He actually had a nice run with OKC, where he averaged 8.6 points and nine boards while blocking over a shot per game. Do the Detroit Pistons need another young center? Probably not, but the way things are going with injuries, he might be worth a look in the final games.
Detroit Pistons: Options for the open roster spot
Greg Brown III
Brown played 64 games for Portland over two seasons after being drafted in the second round. Brown is another very good athlete with explosiveness and the ability to defend several positions because of his 6-foot-10 wingspan. He has the most upside on the defensive end and not so much on offense, where he hasn’t been able to find a clear role. If he could learn to shoot the 3-ball, he’d have some value because of his defensive ability, but that seems unlikely given that he has shot just 63 percent from the free-throw line for his career. But the Detroit Pistons need defenders on the wing and Brown could be one eventually, as he is only 21-years-old.
Jarrett Culver
Given Troy Weaver’s history, I figured Culver might get a call from the Detroit Pistons after he was waived by Atlanta earlier in the season. Culver was drafted 6th overall but has done little in the league since showing some promise in his rookie season. He originally profiled as a 3-and-D wing type, but the big problem is the “3” portion of that equation, as he has been a terrible shooter for his entire career, averaging just 27 percent from long range. In other words, he’d fit right in! Culver does have the size and athleticism to be a good wing defender, but has to develop some type of shot.
Detroit Pistons: Options for the open roster spot
Jared Butler
Butler is a guy I really liked coming out of Butler, as he is a high IQ player who makes winning plays and won a National Championship. But he’s not done much in the NBA since being drafted in the second round in 2021. He’s a bit of a tweener who is probably too small to play the wing and not quick enough to be a point guard, which is one of the reasons he has had a hard time getting on the court. But he was an accurate, high-volume 3-point shooter in college who was known as a smart on-the-ball defender, so he has late bloomer written all over him. He’s still only 22-years-old, so might be worth a look for the Detroit Pistons.
Stanley Johnson
Oh why the hell not? Stanley Johnson has bounced around since being chosen 8th by the Detroit Pistons way back in the 2015 Draft, but he is still somehow just 26-years-old. He’s not one of the all-time draft busts for the Pistons, but he is close after showing so much promise as a rookie when he was just 19-years-old. I’m actually shocked that no one has picked up the Stanimal yet, as he had a good run with the Spurs this season, shooting 45 percent from long range (on low volume) and playing his normally solid defense. He’s big, athletic and can defend, so he’s not likely to be in the G-League long. His return would be a chance for the Pistons to get something from that draft pick so long ago and I am sure fans would welcome him back with open arms, as he was a very popular player even though he never did much in Detroit.