One of the consistent narratives around the Detroit Pistons for the last several seasons is their need for 3-point shooting, which they addressed this offseason with the additions of John Collins, Isaiah Joe and Taurean Prince.
But none of those guys made Bleacher Report’s recent rankings of the league’s top 30 shooters, which featured two Pistons in Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson.
Cunningham was a surprise entry (#25) given his mediocre shooting stats, but they clearly factored in degree of difficulty and usage into the assessment.
That’s why Isaiah Joe didn’t make it even though he is undoubtedly a better 3-point shooter than many who made the cut. If this were based on 3-point shooting only, then Joe would be there, as he hit over 42 percent last year on six attempts per game.
Duncan Robinson was a no-brainer at #14, so the Pistons arguably have three of the league’s top shooters, which should help change the narrative (and reality) around their shooting when you also factor in a boost from Collins.
The Pistons aren’t finished yet, as they will be tied to several other players on this list in trade deadline rumors.
The Detroit Pistons could add more shooting at the trade deadline
It’s far too early to know what the Pistons will do at the trade deadline but given that their payroll is about to go up, this might be a window they can’t afford to miss.
We also don’t know which players will be available, but it’s likely that we see the Pistons connected to any of the top shooters that do end up traded.
The Pistons have already been linked to at least five of the top 30 shooters in the NBA, not including Lauri Markkanen, as the Jazz have put that rumor to rest.
Trey Murphy III (30), Cam Johnson (23), Michael Porter Jr. (20), Kyrie Irving (12) and Kevin Durant (2) are all guys that have been mentioned as possible targets for the Pistons or guys they actively pursued this offseason.
Some names are more realistic than others, but if the Pistons do make a trade deadline move, it’s possible they’ll be adding another elite shot maker to the roster.
Of course, they may have to use Duncan Robinson’s salary to do it, but the tradeoff could be a more versatile shot maker who does more than just shoot 3-pointers.
It’s possible that we could see one of the Pistons’ biggest weaknesses turn into a strength in the span of one season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google