The Detroit Pistons can’t rely on Ebuka Okorie as a teenage rookie, and trading for Isaiah Joe saves them from doing just that. Trajan Langdon focused on adding shooting this summer. Joe is a career 40.6 percent 3-point shooter who should make life easier for Cade Cunningham. Detroit can use Joe’s shooting and defense to make up for his lack of playmaking. This lets JB Bickerstaff develop Okorie without asking him to contribute every night.
A role is open for the rookie. The Pistons need more shot creation and playmaking. Okorie was a downhill, score-first guard in college. They can’t expect him to instantly become a secondary creator in the NBA, and the 6’1 guard will struggle defensively. Detroit wants to win a championship, which means they can’t be counting on a rookie guard.
Joe is 6’4 and may be asked to play a versatile role. The Pistons are light on point guards. They could play Daniss Jenkins or Okorie, but both players have flaws. Detroit’s best bet is letting Ausar Thompson do the creating with shooting and defense around him. That only works with Joe and John Collins shooting over 40 percent from long range.
Isaiah Joe saves Pistons from having to put Ebuka Okorie in the rotation as rookie
Coach Bickerstaff will have Cade Cunningham as the alpha. The superstar will be Detroit’s leading scorer and top playmaker. Behind that in the point guard pecking order is likely Daniss Jenkins. He showed playmaking improvements in year two and will have to take another leap. There are defensive issues, which makes Joe the best of both worlds.
The 27-year-old is in his prime and played the last four years with the Thunder. Joe will be bought in on defense and make open shots. Pistons fans can bank on that. He won’t be a shot creator, but neither would Okorie as a rookie.
The Pistons need to give the 19-year-old time to develop. He should play some games in the G League and pick up spot NBA minutes. Every rep is valuable, but the Pistons can’t forget the big goal. They want to be a championship contender. That takes depth in the modern era. Detroit needs ten players contributing every night. Sadly, Okorie isn't one of them after the Joe trade.
Ebuka Okorie has a bright future but needs time
There were questions about Okorie’s defense, shot creation, and shooting coming out of Stanford. He is 6’1 without shoes, but does have a 6’8 wingspan. There will be problematic defensive matchups, so he must make up for that with offense. The teenager must prove he can still get into the paint and finish in the NBA. He should be working on his playmaking, defense, and jumper to earn minutes. They won’t be ready yet, but fans need to give it time.
The Pistons believe in him. They wouldn’t have drafted Okorie with the 17th overall pick if they didn’t. He is a quick-twitch athlete with room to grow. Detroit has to give him that time and invest resources in his development if they want Okorie to reach his potential.
The Pistons have Jenkins, Joe, Ausar Thompson, Kevin Huerter, Ron Holland, Duncan Robinson, and Gary Harris all capable of playing minutes in the backcourt behind Cade. Cunningham is the only elite shot creator, which opens the door for Okorie. Sadly, he is just not ready for that role.
The Isaiah Joe trade saved the Detroit Pistons from being forced to rely on Ebuka Okorie every night. Rookies rarely hit the ground running in the NBA. They need time to adjust to the step up in competition and grind of the 82-game regular season.
Now, Okorie can do that out of the spotlight, which should help his development. It is fair to say that the Joe trade is already paying dividends for the Pistons. Fans hope those only increase as Okorie improves.
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