The Detroit Pistons have a chance for a fresh start, will they take it?
This season has been a disaster for the Detroit Pistons however you slice it.
They didn’t make the progress that was promised and the young players have been developed inconsistently with constantly changing roles and an ill fitting roster around them.
But the cupboard isn’t bare.
Cade Cunningham is a star and is going to keep getting better. I’ve had enough of the Cade slander from people who want to blame the Pistons’ poor record all on him. On any other team, a guy putting up his numbers would be considered a star already, but for some fans, it’s not enough to declare him “that” guy. I’m declaring it. He is.
Jaden Ivey looks like a worthy sidekick. Jalen Duren is a very good young big man and Ausar Thompson has all of the tools to be a top wing defender and explosive offensive player even if he never develops a great 3-point shot.
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Marcus Sasser, Quentin Grimes and Isaiah Stewart are at least good role players off the bench, so it’s not like the Pistons have nothing to build on. The question is whether they will use this solid foundation to build something real or if they’ll keep piling more sand on top of it.
They have the rare opportunity to clear the slate this offseason, have a fresh start and still improve, but the question is whether they will actually do it.
Detroit Pistons: Fixing the roster.
The Pistons only have eight players under contract for next season after recently inking Stanley Umude to a two-year deal.
We assume they are going to re-sign Simone Fontecchio, so that makes nine. That leaves six spots for them to add to a promising core and make an actual team.
They have plenty of cap space to do it in free agency and there will undoubtedly be some stars available for trade this offseason.
But will Detroit make the necessary additions or double down on guys they already have?
Will they bring back James Wiseman, who is suddenly getting consistent minutes off the bench? Will they bring back Evan Fournier, an expensive Joe Harris type who is due $19 million if the Pistons pick up his option? What about Troy Brown Jr, Shake Milton, Malachi Flynn? In the case of the last four guys, they are too new to share any of the blame for this miserable season, but they are also players who have shown what they are, which is guys who are not good enough to play on good teams, so why should they be good enough for the Pistons?
The sad thing is, that even after flirting with the worst record in NBA history, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Detroit Pistons brought some of these guys back, which would be a huge error.
They need upgrades in talent across the board, better and more complementary role players to supplement their core. They need players who have shown they can be in the rotation of a playoff team, not cast offs from the deep bench of one.
And if that means trading one of the Core Four to get a star and a roster that makes more sense, so be it, but the Pistons cannot double down on this roster, they just can’t. They need six new players to fill those spots, not hope that they might get lucky with someone else’s recycling bin.