The Detroit Pistons are on the brink of tying the worst record in franchise history, so just about everything is on the table heading into a pivotal offseason.
Troy Weaver’s seat is not hot yet, but jobs could be at stake if they fail to at least make some progress next season, and that starts with figuring out the Pistons’ messy roster.
We use the word “untouchable” in the NBA a lot, but the truth is that no one is truly untouchable, as even some of the game’s All-Time greats have been traded, including Kevin Durant this year.
So in this case, the word “untouchable” is shorthand for “untouchable unless a really good trade comes along,” which isn’t as pithy or dramatic.
Right now, the Detroit Pistons only have one such player in Cade Cunningham, but two more have earned their way into that status this season.
On the other end of the spectrum are the “very touchables,” the guys Detroit should cut loose this offseason and replace with more talented players who are better fits.
Let’s start with the untouchables.
2 Pistons that earned untouchable status
Jalen Duren
Count me as one who thought Jalen Duren would be brought along slowly this season, play limited minutes and not see much of the court given that he is the league’s youngest player and the Pistons already had Isaiah Stewart, Marvin Bagley III, Kelly Olynyk and Nerlens Noel.
But it turns out Stewart isn’t a center, MBIII can’t stay on the floor, Olynyk got traded and Noel was completely washed, so Duren got his chance earlier than expected and made the most of it.
He’s already an elite rebounder who averaged more than 10 per game as a starter. His offensive game is raw, but he’s already a good passer and is developing a little fadeaway jumper inside the lane.
Duren has been drawing comparisons to elite big men, as recently Paul George called him a “baby Dwight Howard,” and you rarely see a guy his size with that kind of athleticism and speed.
Duren hasn’t been starting, which is rankling the fanbase, but even given Weaver’s infatuation with James Wiseman, Duren is the center of the future. It would take a monster offer to move him and the only way it’s going to happen is if the Detroit Pistons are getting a star back in return.
2 Pistons that earned untouchable status
Jaden Ivey
Just like with Duren, there are some unlikely hypothetical situations where the Detroit Pistons would consider trading Jaden Ivey, but barring one of those, he’s pencilled in as part of the backcourt for the foreseeable future.
Ivey started the season as an athletic marvel who often played out of control and had a hard time harnessing his elite speed. But as the season has progressed, he’s gotten better at controlling his pace and leading the offense even though his constantly rotating cast of mismatched teammates has just kept getting worse.
He’s been more efficient in the mid-range and his 3-point shot is much better than most people expected this season.
Part of what makes Ivey “untouchable” is that he is a smart player with a strong work ethic who actually cares and wants not only to be great but to win. On a team trying to shake off a culture of losing, his type of drive is important and was one of the big reasons Detroit was so excited when he fell to 5th in last year’s draft.
The only disappointing thing about Ivey’s season is that we didn’t get to see him play much with Cade Cunningham, as the two guards and Duren are the trio they are now building around along with (hopefully) this year’s draft pick.
Other than Cade, Ivey and Duren, just about everyone else is on the table and there are four players in particularly that they should definitely cut loose this offseason.
Detroit Pistons: 4 players that should be cut loose
Buddy Boeheim
If you want to see a fan of the Detroit Pistons get angry, mention the name Buddy Boeheim and stand back.
Boeheim was gifted a two-way contract this season even though he couldn’t defend me, in a move many think was favor from Troy Weaver to his old boss Jim Boeheim.
Buddy can shoot a little, but that’s about it, and the Pistons wasted an entire two-way contract on a guy who will never sniff the NBA.
Hopefully Jim Boeheim doesn’t have any more children because the new collective bargaining agreement now allows teams to have three two-way players.
For the worst team in the NBA to get absolutely nothing from its two-way contracts or G-League seems like a wasted opportunity for development, especially considering how many injuries there were this season.
Plenty of NBA teams have found and developed quality NBA players from their two-ways and G-League and the fact that Boeheim was even on the roster at all shows exactly how unserious this franchise was about winning this season.
Detroit Pistons: 4 players that should be cut loose
RJ Hampton and Eugene Omoruyi
I’m going to lump these two players together because both are in similar situations. The Pistons gave each guy a contact to finish this season and have team options for next year, but hopefully they will not be exercised.
Hampton is very athletic, but has often looked completely lost on both ends since joining the Pistons. He does not have good enough court vision to be a point guard and can’t shoot well enough to play the two.
He has some flashy moments in transition, but Detroit needs players who can defend at a high level and he is not one of them.
Eugene Omoruyi has a slightly better chance to make the team considering he plays a position of great need and has flashed some defensive chops and the ability to rebound.
He’s a testament to how bad this season has been, as his arrival had fans saying things like “wow, he really plays hard!” which is a compliment you give to a child, not an NBA player. But the Pistons need talent, not feel-good stories and Omoruyi’s little photo shoot with his old team didn’t exactly win him any favor.
Omoruyi can’t shoot and the Pistons have the lowest field goal percentage in the league, so they need to find some players who can. Hampton and Omoruyi were worthy experiments, but we’ve seen enough.
Detroit Pistons: 4 players that should be cut loose
Marvin Bagley III
Marvin Bagley III is the only player on the “cut loose” list who has a guaranteed deal for next season, a contact that Troy Weaver should have never offered.
The $25 million guaranteed that MBIII has coming to him over the next two seasons looked bad enough before they went out and got another center.
MBIII can’t play power forward, that much is clear and if the Pistons go into next season pencilling him in for that job I have to question whether anyone involved with that decision should have a job.
He’s a one-dimensional backup center on a team that already has two young centers to go along with Isaiah Stewart, another guy being forced into playing power forward.
MBIII can’t shoot or defend well enough on the perimeter to play with another big, which relegates him to the third center and he’s making too much money for that role.
You could say that the Pistons had so many injuries this year that they need to keep at least three bigs, but Bagley III was the one who was injured the most, so it’s not like he’s some Iron Man who the Pistons can ride in a pinch.
He’s not going to be easy to move given his style of play and contract, but this experiment needs to end. I would add that the whole “take a risk on a bust” experiment can go as well. It hasn’t worked and there are usually very good reasons why these “high ceiling” talents are available for nothing.