3 Pistons whose futures in Detroit are unclear

Detroit Pistons: 3 players with unclear futures

James Wiseman

James Wiseman continues to start even though Jalen Duren is the better player, and it is clear the Pistons are trying to see what they have.

Wiseman is undoubtedly an intriguing talent, and at times you can see exactly what Golden State was thinking when they drafted him second overall in the 2020 NBA Draft.

But how do they view his future?

Is he the starter and Duren the backup? That seems unlikely given that Duren is a better defender, rebounder, screener and passer. Do they see Wiseman as a possible trade chip? Maybe, but he probably hasn’t done enough to really improve his value on the trade market, so what could the Pistons really expect to get?

Will they extend him this summer? A lot of risk/reward factors in play with that one.

Do they really think Wiseman can play with another big? The results thus far have not been encouraging.

Wiseman still has one more year left on his deal, so the Pistons could just be patient and see how things go next season. However, if they are really trying to improve and be competitive next season, an extended tryout and experiment with a starting spot isn’t the way to do it.

There’s also the mixed message it sends, as Duren lost his spot for no reason (other than he had to miss a few games with injury) and the development of Wiseman has been put at the forefront. This is hardly the meritocracy we’ve heard about.

This just seems like a mess, as Detroit doesn’t have a clear angle or agenda here. If they go into next season with the same four bigs on the roster, it’s tough to see how they will improve, so there’s also that.

Of all of the situations on the team, this one is the least clear, and the one the Pistons need to future out.