Pistons' sudden burst of shooting could have a ripple effect

The Detroit Pistons entered the offseason looking for upgrades in scoring, ball handling and shooting, and have so far just focused on one of them. 

The Pistons added a legit 3-point sniper in Isaiah Joe, swapped Tobias Harris out for John Collins and last night finalized a deal that adds Taurean Prince as the backup power forward, a guy who has shot over 43 percent from long range in the last two seasons. 

None of these players are prolific scoring threats that would qualify as a second or even third option, and none of them are ball handlers, but all can shoot the 3-ball, which is something they have lacked since Cade Cunningham came into the league. 

Detroit also took a swing on Kevin Huerter getting back to form, and if that happens, they will have a wealth of 3-point shooting. 

The Pistons may not take the swing for a second scorer, but their ball handling could see a improvement even if they don‘t make another big addition. 

More space makes it easier for Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson 

The playoffs exposed the Pistons as one of the easiest teams in the NBA to defend, as teams just packed the lane, made it difficult for Detroit to get points in the paint and dared them to shoot from the outside. 

Driving lanes were limited by a lack of space, as Duncan Robinson was often the only player on the floor teams had to worry about defending outside the arc, and they were generally happy to let anyone else fire away. 

Having more shooting should allow for more space in the half court when teams can’t just leave Pistons wide open in the corner. This should open up more driving lanes for Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and even Daniss Jenkins, who will hopefully now not just be dribbling into walls of defenders. 

The Pistons now have enough shooters to keep multiple 3-point threats on the floor at the same time, which is a necessity, not a luxury when you have Thompson and Duren sharing the floor.

Detroit also struggled with turnovers, partially because of the lack of spacing, so this should theoretically make it easier for them to take care of the ball. 

The Pistons aren’t finished dealing yet and at least have Jalen Duren’s contract to complete, so they may add more ball handling and scoring, but they’ve at least addressed their shooting. 

These have not been the splashy moves many fans were hoping for, but they’ve all been targeted at improving one of the Pistons’ biggest weaknesses, which will hopefully have a ripple effect on their spacing, turnovers and success in the half court. 

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