The Pistons have operated throughout the offseason keeping one roster spot open, and they may have just gotten the big break they were looking for to fill it. After weeks of uncertainty, Malik Beasley has reportedly been informed that the federal gambling probe into his play turned up empty. This leaves Beasley eligible to take the Pistons’ last roster spot, but that might not actually solve the team’s biggest issues.
Let’s start with what Beasley could bring to the table: exceptional shooting. Last season we saw a sharpshooting masterpiece of a season that has rarely been replicated in NBA history. If Beasley can come anywhere close to that production again, on top of adding other shooters like Duncan Robinson in the offseason, the Pistons could have a formidable 3-point shooting barrage.
Malik Beasley: Not the Ultimate Solution
Overall shooting has been an Achilles heel of the Pistons for a while now, but it’s not their only weakness going into next season. They are also lacking depth at some positions, namely point guard and power forward. The Pistons should explore different ways to fill those gaps, especially leveraging their Traded Player Exception.
Beasley was great for the Pistons in a lot of ways last season, both as a shooter on the court and veteran leader off of it. He brought a level of much-needed spacing and willingness to shoot tough 3s. But he is undeniably one-dimensional as a player. His only real strength is shooting from distance, and he doesn’t have the skillset to play any position but shooting guard.
Ironically, shooting guard is a position that the Pistons are not lacking in. They have at least two other guys (Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser) who are best suited at shooting guard. All three are smaller guards too, but Cade Cunningham’s size at point guard does offset that disadvantage a bit.
Hopefully, one of the other two guys develops the playmaking chops this season to become a viable backup point guard, but there is zero hope of Beasley doing so. He knows his role is to get out there and launch 3s, which he does at an excellent clip, but you’d be hard pressed to see him directly creating for teammates. Last season, he averaged just 1.7 assists per game and has only cleared 2 assists per game once in his 9 seasons.
Beasley’s addition would be great for the Pistons in some areas and a tremendous showing of loyalty from both sides. After expressing his desire to remain in Detroit last season and even prior to free agency, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him return to the team. But it does not by any means solve all the issues on the roster.