The Toronto Raptors agreed to a three-year, $24 million contract extension with backup point guard Jamal Shead this week.
On the surface, this may not seem to have much impact on the Detroit Pistons. Perhaps they will need to play Shead and the Raptors in the playoffs this season and beyond, but otherwise, why does this matter?
It matters because it highlights the Pistons' own recent failures, and players like Shead will continue to haunt them for years to come.
The Pistons whiffed in the 2024 Draft
The Pistons' pick that mattered the most in the 2024 NBA Draft was at No. 5, where Detroit drafted Ron Holland. The jury is very much still out on the gifted Holland. But this analysis isn't looking at their first-round pick.
Instead, the focus is on the second round, where the Pistons ended up with the 37th pick. They used it on Swedish forward Bobi Klintman, a raw prospect who was something of a longshot to put it all together in the NBA. The upside was intriguing, but Klintman has already washed out of the league two years later and has signed to play in Europe.
Not every second-round pick works out; that's part of the reality of drafting in those waters. What has to hurt the Pistons, however, is that while they took Klintman, there was a lot of talent on the board that could be helping them right now.
A lot.
Immediately after the Pistons drafted Klintman, the Oklahoma City Thunder took UC Santa Barbara guard Ajay Mitchell. He would be starting right now on half the teams in the league and was arguably the second-best offensive player last season on the No. 1 seed.
Then comes Jaylen Wells, who finished First Team All-Rookie and is a capable 3-and-D wing with some on-ball chops. Teams desperately need those sorts of players -- teams like Detroit.
Oso Ighodaro went 40th and is a solid backup big for the Phoenix Suns; the same goes for Adem Bona on the 76ers at 41. Picks 42 + 43 have not worked out yet, but then pick 44 was Pelle Larsson, who just signed for four years and $60 million with the Miami Heat.
And pick No. 45? Houston guard Jamal Shead, who is a borderline starter and bulldog on defense who is now signed to a bargain deal. The Pistons would kill to have a player like Shead coming in off the bench.
You can keep going, of course. Quinten Post is an underrated stretch-5. Cam Spencer is one of the league's best-kept secrets and an elite shooter. Ariel Hukporti is a solid backup center. Even Bronny James is worth an NBA roster spot.
The Pistons need players like Shead
The Pistons are only going to get more expensive over the next few years as new contracts kick in, and raises pile on top of those. They paid $40 million per season to Jalen Duren, and Ausar Thompson is making over $150 million over the next five seasons. Cade Cunningham is already on a max contract.
Detroit needs cost-controlled talent in the worst ways. They need capable role players who are inexpensive and yet impactful in their roles. Paying for such players in free agency adds a premium; finding them in the second round brings plenty of value when you draft the right players.
The Pistons have not managed to do that in recent seasons. Chaz Lanier got minutes last season because of his shooting, but he is not a guaranteed rotation player. Daniss Jenkins is their one successful scoop-up, and he was technically undrafted.
What would this team look like if they had, say, Ajay Mitchell and Maxime Reynaud in the rotation on inexpensive second-round deals? Or Jaylen Wells and Kobe Sanders? Or even Jamal Shead and Chaz Lanier?
Detroit will need to find a way to add inexpensive but reliable players. If not, they will fail in their mission to put a championship team around Cunningham, Duren and Thompson. And players like Shead are exactly who they need.
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