2 Winners & 2 Losers From Detroit Pistons Offseason So Far

The Detroit Pistons’ offseason hasn’t gone the way many thought it would go.

Yes, some pieces have been added, but the main objectives have been left incomplete, as the search for a secondary scorer to lift the load off Cade Cunningham and resolving Jalen Duren’s contract remain unticked on the checklist.

The Pistons still have the tools to be a playoff team this season, but something is still missing to make them a contender. A scoring big man, unless the situation with Duren is resolved before training camp and a bench player who can give you 15 to 20 points per game.

So, which Detroit player benefited this offseason, and who didn’t?

Winner: Isaiah Joe

Coming to the Pistons from the Oklahoma City Thunder will allow Isaiah Joe more offensive freedom and a chance to reinvent himself.

Last season, he averaged 11.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists on a stacked Thunder team. He shot 45% from the field and 42% from three-point range on six attempts per game, which is decent, but Joe is capable of better – with Detroit, you feel he can do just that.

Joe will give the Pistons more offensive freedom. He will give them more space and opportunity to run the floor with more options. The question is: Can he adjust quickly, and can he take advantage of the opportunity?

Because with the way the offseason has gone for Detroit, he’ll have more responsibility than he had at OKC.

Loser: Jalen Duren

This one is fairly obvious.

You can understand going for the big payday the moment you’re eligible for one, and Duren is at that level. He earned it through his solid regular-season play, but it was his playoff performance that let him down.

Duren was a shadow of the man who performed so brilliantly in the regular season, constantly getting bullied by the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers when the stakes were high and failing to deliver. He was unable to execute offensively, and defensively he was soft, especially against Jarrett Allen of the Cavs.

As a result, the Pistons are hesitant to offer Duren the lucrative, five-year, $287.1 million deal he wants. To put it bluntly, he’s not going to get the max contract he’s eligible for, and the two parties have spent the entire summer debating whether he’s even worth it.

The team has lowballed him, and Duren is clearly unhappy about it. As a result, this situation is likely to linger into September with no clear resolution as of yet.

Winner: Paul Reed

Due to Duren’s contract saga, Paul Reed will benefit as the only Pistons-recognized big man who isn’t a two-way player on the depth chart.

With Detroit shipping Isaiah Stewart, Reed could earn a starting spot and more playing time. Something he has richly deserved as being a glue guy for the Pistons and someone who you feel can handle the intense level of responsibility that will be bestowed on his broad shoulders.

Points will be a bonus, but his role will be to protect the paint, get rebounds, and provide rim protection. Something his style of play is worthy of.

Loser: Cade Cunningham

You could make an argument for Cunningham being a winner this offseason.

On one hand, the Pistons have improved their three-point shooting by adding John Collins, Joe, Taurean Prince, and Gary Harris, which should have a ripple effect on their spacing and ball-handling—and, hopefully, help cut down on turnovers.

But the fact that Detroit haven’t secured a proven secondary scorer hurts. Cunningham will shoulder a lot of the offensive burden again, and unless the aforementioned players step up, the lack of offensive strength could prove to be Detroit’s downfall.

In a nutshell: Detroit is going to be winning games through their defense on paper.

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