The Detroit Pistons sit precariously in the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference, whose standings change just about every day.
They do have a 4.5-game cushion over 10th-seed Chicago, so Detroit has a good chance of making at least the play-in tournament this season, which any fan would have taken before it started.
But it has to be tempting to try and make the playoffs outright with Cade Cunningham playing so well. This team has great chemistry, is defending well and could make a run in the playoffs with the right additions.
It’s more likely the Pistons stay conservative at the deadline and try to add draft assets with their cap space, but that doesn’t mean they can’t try and fill some needs. They have two glaring ones right now that were exposed in the recent loss to Orlando.
The Detroit Pistons need to get Cade Cunningham some help
Cunningham has been amazing, but the grind of having to do everything for this team is eventually going to take its toll and we might be seeing it right now. Cunningham has struggled with his shot over the last several games even though he is still putting up big numbers, a testament to how good he’s been this season.
But since Jaden Ivey went out, the Pistons have lacked a consistent secondary scorer, so that is their clearest and most urgent need. Even if the player was just someone who could take over the point guard duties while he’s on the bench, the Pistons need another guy who can score and handle the ball at times.
Teams are increasingly throwing everything at Cade and making someone else beat them, a strategy that is going to continue until the Pistons have someone else who can occasionally take over.
The Pistons could use another big man
Playing Orlando and Cleveland in back-to-back games drives home that the Pistons don’t have a lot of size in their frontcourt.
With Paul Reed stuck to the bench, they basically have Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart and Tobias Harris as their frontcourt players. Harris had to leave the Orlando game and the Pistons don’t really have a backup. Hopefully, he won’t have to miss much time, but it puts a lot of pressure on Duren and Stew.
The Pistons could potentially take on a player like Bobby Portis if he becomes available, who would check some of those boxes, though his defense has taken a step back this season.
The first need is far more important than the second to me, so it would be nice to see the Pistons address it at the deadline even if they don’t go all-in for a star.