Should the Pistons re-sign their most polarizing player?

Now that Killian Hayes is gone, the Detroit Pistons have a new player with the title of Most Polarizing.

James Wiseman has stepped into that role, as his biggest supporters think he's a star in the making with huge upside while his biggest detractors think he's been one of the worst players in the NBA.

At times, they've both been right, as Wiseman flashes tantalizing potential but also looks lost a lot and has been bad defensively.

But he has picked up his play of late, simplifying his game and doing the things that are going to get him future employment, namely setting better screens, rolling to the rim, running in transition and occasionally blocking a shot.

He's slowly gaining the confidence of coach Monty Williams and even Pistons fans, who are wondering if the team may have finally hit on one of their reclamation projects.

But should a strong finish to the season (if he continues to have one) be enough for the Pistons to re-sign him this summer?

Should the Detroit Pistons re-sign James Wiseman?

James Wiseman will be a restricted free agent this summer, so if the Pistons want to keep him, they probably can.

And there is a strong argument that they should, as he is a freakish athlete at 7-foot-1 and at times does things that very few big men his size can do.

But there is a huge and glaring BUT to this assertion.

The Pistons absolutely cannot give Wiseman a big guaranteed deal based on a few weeks of solid play as they did with Marvin Bagley III, a player they just had to pay to get rid of.

You can't have too much invested in backup centers at all, but certainly not ones who can't shoot and have not shown they can consistently defend. This mini-surge from Wiseman has been nice, but the Pistons cannot afford to pay for potential over production.

On a small deal with one guaranteed year on it, I'd be happy to have Wiseman back, as he's shown enough to make a small bet on his potential. But the Pistons can't give him a guaranteed 3-year deal like this did with Bagley III, overpaying for what he can be instead of what he is.

Overpaying the backup center position was arguably the Pistons' biggest failure of roster construction this season, and they can't double down on that, especially on guys who don't yet have the skills modern bigs need to have, which is the ability to shoot, protect the rim and/or be able to switch on the perimeter.

Wiseman is a nice project bet at the right price, but the Pistons can't overextend themselves based on hope.