The Pistons still need more dynamic guard play from their bench, and one intriguing option recently opened up after Kevin Porter Jr was surprisingly waived by the Bucks. However, KPJ shouldn’t be high on the Pistons radar because his inefficiency and poor defense have always held him back from being a winning player.
Porter Jr would be a reach for the Pistons
Detroit should be heavily involved in the trade market for another creator this season, but Porter isn’t a good solution even for free. He has his issues even on a tanking Bucks team last season, so the Pistons have no business seeing how his game will translate to playoff expectations for them.
On the surface, Porter had a great season averaging 17 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists per game. That seems like the type of production that would be ideal next to Cade Cunningham or backing him up. But Porter runs into a lot of the same issues that once plagued Marcus Sasser on the Pistons and dulled his impact.
For one, Porter has questionable shot selection and poor efficiency. When he’s hitting tough shots, he looks unstoppable. But those tough shots come way too often - he only shot 46% from the field and 32% from three last season.
Porter is also a generally weak defender, despite averaging 2.2 steals per game last season. He gambles too often rather than playing solid positional defense, which can lead to some good defensive playmaking but also lots of breakdowns. The Pistons certainly don’t need a new guard to come in and mess with their defensive identity unless they provide true star production on the other end.
The Pistons can get better upgrades instead
If/when the Pistons want to add a new creator into the rotation, it should be a premier option that makes them proper contenders. They don’t have the luxury of experimenting with an unproven player like Porter, especially when other players on the team are still developing their offense this season.
Detroit needs to hold out for a bigger move and make sure it’s the right one. Whether it’s a veteran that’s already contributed to deep playoff runs or a young stud who clearly fits, the Pistons should have no questions when he joins. Porter doesn’t meet the criteria, and isn’t even worth picking up on a minimum deal.
He’s never proven to be effective without the ball in his hands, so adding Porter would only take away from players like Ausar Thompson. That tradeoff just isn’t worth it and likely won’t be for most contenders. Porter is stuck in an awkward spot at age 25 where he’s too old for rebuilding teams and not good enough for contending teams; he could have a hard time finding another NBA home.
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