The Pistons were very judicious with their new additions this offseason, choosing players that perfectly fit the team already. One of those was Isaiah Joe, whose 3-and-D abilities on the wing should be very important, but so will his experience as a champion on the Thunder.
Joe can offer his insights from Oklahoma City’s rise, including the 2025 title run, and add another voice to Detroit’s existing locker room leadership. His experience should also help him encourage the Pistons coming off a first-seed season and a loss in the second round, the same situation he encountered in OKC one year before winning a championship.
Joe can be a great veteran presence
The Thunder weren’t able to get over the championship hump until they added their own former champion role player in Alex Caruso. Caruso had previously won a title in 2020 with the Lakers and brought that same championship intensity to OKC on both ends.
Now Isaiah Joe has a chance to be the Pistons’ equivalent of Caruso. Just his perspective on playing deep into May and June should help the Pistons prepare for the playoffs better. Joe can tell his teammates first-hand what it took to win a title and make other deep runs.
In some ways, Joe’s youth as a veteran addition will only help his case. He should still be in the prime of his powers as a 27-year-old this season. His combination of energy and experience should get his message across properly.
Detroit will benefit from Joe on the court too
Beyond his prior experience, Joe also brings an essential skill to the Pistons with his shooting. The massive threat of his long-range proficiency should keep defenses honest and give more space to his younger teammates.
But Joe isn’t solely an off-ball shooter either. He flashed some skills with his ball-handling and shot creation last season, but the Thunder were too deep to let him showcase those properly. But the Pistons need more support in those departments and will take any help they can get.
But perhaps Joe’s most influential contribution will be his defense in addition to his shooting and scoring. After his years in Oklahoma City, Joe understands fully how important defense will be to staying on the court in the playoffs. With the Thunder, he often lost out on opportunities to fellow wings like Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins because they were sturdier on defense.
The Pistons still had some defensive weak points in the playoffs among their shooters, despite an amazing overall defensive foundation. Joe’s addition should add more defensive talent into the shooter rotation but also push his fellow Piston snipers to improve defensively all season long.
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