Pistons could regret putting too much trust in the youth

Trajan Langdon has done a masterful job of keeping a mix of veterans and young players on his roster, a recipe that has led them from 14 to 60 wins in the span of two seasons. 

The Pistons core is built around the young trio of Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren (pending) and Ausar Thompson, but they also have a rotating mix of veterans like Duncan Robinson and John Collins to complement them. 

The Pistons have at least one young player and one veteran at every position except one, backup point guard, which is a spot that has been problematic for the Pistons in the past. 

The Pistons are trusting the youth in the backcourt 

The Pistons have left a lingering void behind Cade Cunningham at the backup point guard spot. 

It’s a position they filled by committee fairly unsuccessfully for most of last season, though Daniss Jenkins did play much better in that role in the postseason. 

The Pistons certainly weren’t counting on Jenkins to play such a big role last year, and he’ll go into this one with a much more established job after showing he can handle it on the big stage.

But he’s still an inexperienced player with only one season under his belt, and most of that was not even as a full-time reserve. Jenkins was only thrown into that spot because of multiple injuries, so let’s not act like him being in the starting lineup in the playoffs was part of the plan. 

Aside from Jenkins, the Pistons have only rookie Ebuka Okorie at point guard, a slight player who has to show he has the physicality to stay on the court against NBA-level competition. 

There is a path for him to make the rotation, but it’s a lot to ask of a rookie to take on point guard duties, especially when the Pistons are short on ball handlers and already had issues with turnovers. 

The Pistons are putting a lot of trust in two young players, which is something they may regret. 

Will the Pistons regret not signing a veteran point guard? 

It seems like the idea of the Pistons needing a veteran point guard has been around for about a century now, but the reality is that they might not really need one. 

Cade Cunningham is going to play big minutes, so the backup point guard won’t have to spend much time on the floor without Cade. 

The Pistons also have reason to believe in Daniss Jenkins, who showed he can be a leader on the floor and has some of that big-game DNA and confidence you want in a point guard. 

The experience he got in the playoffs last season will undoubtedly be valuable in his development, and I do think we'll see Jenkins return with increased confidence in a more defined and consistent role. 

If the combination of Jenkins and Okorie proves not to work, the Pistons will have time to get a veteran point guard before the trade deadline. There are also a few available, so this is not an urgent need. 

It was somewhat surprising that the Pistons didn’t sign a veteran to complement their young guys, but they have confidence in the players they have and don’t need to be in a hurry. 

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