Much was made of the Detroit Pistons’ addition of veteran shooting last offseason, which helped unlock an All-NBA season for Cade Cunningham, but it’s still a huge need for Detroit.
It seems like we’ve been saying this endlessly since Cade Cunningham was drafted, but the Pistons’ shooting situation isn’t any less dire than it was heading into last offseason.
Even after adding Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tobias Harris, the Pistons were in the bottom half of the league in 3-point makes and accuracy, and that’s with Beasley being one of the most accurate high-volume shooters in the NBA.
The lack of shooting was an issue in the playoffs, where the Pistons hit just 32 percent of their 3-point shots as a team with the third fewest attempts per game of any team in the postseason. Only Houston and Orlando (one of the worst offenses in the league) shot fewer.
The Pistons will undoubtedly take this into account when trying to retain Malik Beasley, but he can’t be the only shooter they add this summer. The Pistons need to target a replacement/upgrade for THJ if he’s not coming back, and they could use a backup to Tobias Harris who can spread the floor.
Most teams go into the draft saying they will target the best player available, but in the case of the Pistons, they should be taking the best shooter available.
Best player available strategy won’t work for the Detroit Pistons in the NIL era
Many of the mid-tier prospects are staying in college to chase money, which has changed the landscape of the 2nd round of the NBA Draft, something Trajan Langdon brought up recently when trying to dampen fans’ expectations.
However, it gives teams like the Pistons a chance to get an older player who may be able to help right away even if he doesn’t have a high ceiling.
The Pistons should be targeting a shooter in this mold, an upperclassman from college or the international pros who already has an NBA shot, and we’ve talked about a couple of possibilities already.
Many mock drafts have the Pistons taking Chaz Lanier, who would fit the mold of a shooter who could help them next season.
Tyrese Proctor from Duke has also been named as a possibility, and I do think shooting is a skill Langdon is going to target, as the Pistons simply don’t have enough.
Detroit can’t slide backwards when it comes to 3-point shooting, and if they want to take the next step as a team, they have to have more shooters than they had this season, so Langdon will be looking to add them any way he can.