The Pistons have struggled offensively to start the season, and it’s becoming increasingly apparent that the young core’s clunky fit might not allow them all to stay on the team long term. The lack of shooting among the Pistons’ young players makes it hard to play them together for long periods. Trajan Langdon might soon be faced with the brutal decision to trade one of them or let them walk rather than committing to them long-term.
Big changes could soon be coming to Detroit
Currently the Pistons have only committed long term to two players: Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart. Cunningham is the franchise cornerstone and the centerpiece of the team-building efforts. Stewart is on one of the league’s best value deals and has established himself as a top backup big.
Beyond those two guys, the Pistons’ financial future looks murky. Ausar Thompson probably leads the next pack in terms of securing a long-term contract. He’s got arguably the highest ceiling of anyone on the team besides Cade, and his elite defense establishes a good floor for his contributions.
But playing Cade and Ausar together already creates cramped spacing offensively, and another non-shooter doesn’t help. Jalen Duren is a talented offensive player but very limited in his range. His lob finishing definitely pops off the highlight reel and can provide some vertical spacing, but Duren’s limitations often make life difficult for Cade.
And Duren’s inconsistent effort on both ends has already cost the Pistons in the win-loss column. When he’s not focused on offense, he can overextend himself and turn it over carelessly. On defense, the problem can get even worse when he gives up open shots to stretch bigs and lets guards blow by. If Duren continues to be inconsistent, he will be the leading option for the Pistons to trade out of their young core.
An even more uncertain situation is Jaden Ivey. Ivey, like Duren, had high hopes for a contract extension this summer but will instead enter restricted free agency next year. Unfortunately, Ivey has been unable to prove himself on the court since January due to various injuries. He might be the key to unlocking the Pistons offense, but we won’t know for at least another couple weeks.
It’s important to note that Ivey’s fit with Cade will make or break his future with the Pistons. Even if he’s a great isolation scorer, he won’t be valuable in Detroit if he can’t also provide off-ball value next to Cade. He made strides last year on catch-and-shoot threes, but the bar to be a good shooter at his position is very high in today’s NBA.
It’s easy for Pistons fans to get attached to their young players. They’ve got an entire core group of homegrown talent that’s grown through adversity. But the cold hard truth is that teams rarely reach their pinnacle with entirely homegrown talent, and it’s much more likely that one of the young Pistons won’t be around when the team is at its best.