Which Detroit Pistons benefitted most from the trade deadline?

The Detroit Pistons were the busiest team at the NBA trade deadline and they needed to be, as the roster needed a reset.

The moves weren't just about adding new players, but positioning their core for better roles and opportunity with a more complementary cast around them.

We'll have to wait and see how the moves affect the overall success of the team, but they should be beneficial to several players who will have larger, more defined roles.

Detroit Pistons who benefitted the most from the trade deadline

Marcus Sasser

With Killian Hayes and Monte Morris no longer fighting Sasser for minutes, he should move into a more fixed and consistent role off the bench.

Sasser is not a pure point guard, but he showed in the last game that he can fill that role for stretches, racking up 11 assists in the win over the Trail Blazers.

But he's also shown he can play in three-guard lineups with Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, so Sasser will always be more of a combo guard who looks to score first.

He should be getting 25+ minutes a night now that he no longer has to share that role with Hayes and Morris and should no longer have nights when Monty Williams inexplicably leaves him on the bench.

And he won't have to play his minutes with a non-shooter who the other team doesn't have to defend on the perimeter, which should give him more space to operate.

Jaden Ivey

Like Sasser, Ivey will be the beneficiary of two fewer guards coming off the bench.

This will give him the chance to run the second unit as the primary ball handler, which we saw in spurts against Portland when coach Williams finally staggered his two starting guards.

Ivey played 48 minutes in the last game, which isn't sustainable, but his average minutes should see an uptick and his role more defined when he is with the bench.

Ivey has been on a tear since the front office intervened in Williams' rotations and that should continue with an increased role.

Ausar Thompson

The Pistons did bring in a couple of wings in Quentin Grimes and Simone Fontecchio, so it's possible Ausar will go back to the bench.

But it's also possible that coach Williams will use this chance to play the Core Four together in the starting lineup, something we've been waiting for this season.

Even if Ausar comes off the bench, he should get some more playmaking opportunities in lineups with Sasser and Grimes, who are not great creators. Thompson may get some chances as the primary ball handler with those two, and the Pistons can play an up-tempo style with their bench with Grimes and Thompson snagging steals and getting out on the break.

Without veterans Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks eating up a lot of shots and touches at the wing, there should be more for Ausar Thompson who was often relegated to standing in the corner.

The Detroit Pistons' present just got more exciting and we should see more of the players they are building around, which is what fans have wanted in a season that quickly went from play-in hopes to player development.