When the Detroit Pistons signed Javonte Green late last offseason, it was an afterthought, a guy who looked like roster filler for the deep bench.
Green was a journeyman on a veteran’s minimum deal, and no one expected him to play much unless there were injuries, but Green had other ideas.
He was the only Pistons player who appeared in all 82 regular-season games, he led all bench players in the NBA in steals last season and shot 38 percent from 3-point range, becoming the Pistons most reliable option from the corner, hitting 50 percent of his attempts.
Green is a junkyard dog who does a little of everything, and most importantly, makes winning plays, which is why the Pistons brought him back on another cheap, one-year deal.
Green is the type of player you need to succeed in the grind of the regular season and represents the type of cheap impact the Pistons need to keep finding.
Cheap talent will make the big deals work for the Pistons
Detroit already has Cade Cunningham on a max deal and for now, he’s likely to remain the only one, as Trajan Langdon has made it clear who he is building around.
But Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson are about to get big raises into the $30-40 million range, so the top of the Pistons’ payroll is getting heavier.
That makes guys like Green even more important, as he will contribute on a minimum deal that doesn’t represent any long-term commitment and would be easy to trade if they had to.
The Pistons also got contributions from two-way player Daniss Jenkins last season, another cheap contributor, and Langdon will have to continue to hit on these types of players in the future as the team gets more expensive.
It’s not all about the rookies for the Pistons
When it comes to cheap talent, most people focus on the draft and keeping a steady stream of young talent in the pipeline. This is how OKC has managed to keep such a deep roster even though they have an expensive trio of stars.
The Pistons hope Ebuka Okorie will eventually help plug gaps with a cheap and productive contract, but it’s arguably far more important to find cheap veterans.
Okorie may not even be in the rotation next season, but he’ll still be making more than Javonte Green simply because Okorie was a first-round pick, unlike Green, who went undrafted and had to grind his way into the league.
Rookie deals aren’t that cheap, so guys like Green are where the real value lies, as he’ll play more than Okorie next season, make a far bigger impact, and take less of the cap space.
Of course, teams have to hit in the draft, but they also have to keep a steady pipeline of undervalued veterans who produce at far better value for money than unproven rookies.
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