The Detroit Pistons didn’t make any major moves this summer. For the most part, they will be banking on the internal improvements of guys like Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren (if they re-sign him), and others in order to help Cade Cunningham. It’s like what happened after the Atlanta Hawks made their run to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals and then didn’t add around Trae Young.
Atlanta chose to bank on internal development. John Collins. Kevin Hurter. Clint Capela. They ran it back with the same crew in hopes of improving that way. That’s sort of what the Pistons are going to be doing, outside of some of their role players. But that was a mistake for the Hawks, and it will be a mistake for the Pistons.
Detroit needs to bring Cunningham some help this summer via the trade market, and right now, it looks like they aren’t going to.
Pistons are making same mistake the 2021 Hawks did
When the Hawks made the ECF in 2021, it looked like they were about to be one of the best teams for the next decade. They had all the tools in place, and they were ready to roll.
Young looked like a superstar in the making. The role players were playing very well alongside him. So, the Hawks decided to stay put. They didn’t make any moves. And it cost them.
In reality, Atlanta should have used that run as justification to improve the roster around Young. To maximize things in order to give Young the best chance at getting even further in the playoffs.
That’s what the Pistons should be doing this summer. Rather than banking on the young players on their roster getting better after an impressive season, they should be making moves.
Detroit should want to maximize Cunningham right now, rather than simply hoping that some of its young players will improve. They saw how that worked out for Young and the Hawks.
But so far this summer, the Pistons haven’t added significant pieces. Their biggest addition has been John Collins, and he was just a replacement for Tobias Harris, who was a nice piece that they lost.
Drafting Ebuka Okorie could help, but not right away. The Pistons should have traded for a guy to help Cunningham, especially on the offensive end. But so far, they haven’t.
Detroit is falling into the exact same trap Young and the Hawks fell into back in 2021, and it’s not going to go well.
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