Pistons have their own Max Strus, and he could help knock off the Cavaliers

Several times during the Pistons’ second-round series against the Cavaliers last season, I thought to myself that if Detroit had Max Strus, they would have easily won the series. 

Strus is a role player, but a dangerous one, a guy who can change the game in short bursts and put up points quickly. He dropped 19 in game one and then poured in 20 in Cleveland’s crucial overtime win in game five. 

The Pistons lacked that kind of offensive difference maker off the bench, a guy who could come in and scare the life out of the other team (and their fans) with their shooting. 

Strangely, the Cavaliers are now trying to trade Strus so they can make a run at Peyton Watson, who will be making considerably more and is a mostly unproven player. Good luck with that. I hope it happens, as I’d rather see Watson in the playoffs than Strus. 

The Cavs are one of the teams the Pistons will have to conquer if they want to win the Eastern Conference next season, and they might have their own Max Strus to help them get over the hump. 

The Pistons have a legit shooter in Isaiah Joe 

Joe could be a beneficiary of a larger role next season, and there is a world in which he shoots (and defends) his way into the starting lineup. 

But he’ll likely start the season in the role of 6th man, who like Strus, will come in firing and can change games quickly. 

Joe has experience playing with a ball-dominant guard and knows how to take advantage, knocking down over 42 percent of his six attempts per game. I expect he’ll get more minutes and shots next season, so has a chance to make a leap without OKC’s otherworldly guard depth limiting his chances. 

The Pistons haven’t had a player like him since Malik Beasley, who changed plenty of games with his shooting off the bench. 

It gives the Pistons another weapon to deploy in the playoffs to help keep up with Eastern Conference benches like the Cavs and Celtics that feature very good 3-point shooters. 

It will be interesting to see what happens with Strus, as he’s a player the Cavaliers could regret losing, especially if they have to give him away for less than market value, which they may if they are desperate enough to move him. 

The Pistons aren’t likely to be involved and don’t need to be, as they already found answers to a big problem from last season, which is that they didn’t have any shooting coming off the bench. 

Like Strus, Joe is a guy who could flip a playoff game with some well-timed 3-point shooting, so the Pistons may already have what they need to knock off one of the gatekeepers of the East. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow