The NBA released its annual GM survey where they rank everything from players to coaches and make predictions about the season.
One category that caught my eye for the Pistons was “most underrated player acquisition,” as Detroit had connections to two names.
Isaiah Joe received votes for the most underrated acquisition of the summer, and it makes sense, as he’s not a household name, but his elite 3-point shooting should fit right perfectly on a team that was desperate for it.
The Pistons never found a replacement for Malik Beasley off the bench, and Joe should provide the type of high-volume accuracy that Detroit got from Beasley two seasons ago.
Joe has struggled shooting the 3-ball so far, as he does seem to be pressing a bit, but this is a guy who has been one of the league’s best spot-up shooters for years and his championship experience will undoubtedly help a young team trying to get over the hump.
But there was another name on the list that caught my attention for different reasons, as it was Tobias Harris, a player the Pistons let go to the San Antonio Spurs and who is suddenly the darling of the league.
Tobias Harris was a great pickup for San Antonio, just like he was for Detroit
Oh, it’s funny how things change.
I am old enough to remember just a few years ago when all of the experts told us Detroit had made a huge mistake by signing Tobias Harris, that he wasn’t going to matter and that they had overpaid a guy who was a playoff choker.
The experts were wrong, as Harris ended up being great for Detroit, both on and off the floor.
That’s why it was surprising to see that Uncle Tobias Harris got 20 percent of the votes for “most underrated player acquisition,” which put him in first place ahead of both Mitchell Robinson and Naz Reid.
All of a sudden Tobias Harris is underrated? When he joined the Pistons, we got the opposite sentiment, but apparently, he is a perfect fit in San Antonio, probably after his strong playoff run.
I don’t disagree with them, as Harris will be great for San Antonio and provide their young team with the same kind of stability he did in Detroit, so the experts got it right this time, but I do find it fascinating how opinions on a player can swing so wildly in just a couple of seasons, especially for a guy who has been in the league as long as Harris and has been one of the most consistent, known commodities.
So, the Pistons landed an underrated player but also gave one up, and in the case of Harris, it could matter, as he was an important secondary scoring option and team leader.
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