Marvin Bagley III Should Start

The Pistons are just 13-45 now as they take some time off for the All-Star break even after a very nice, potential momentum-building win against the red hot Celtics last night. So what needs to happen moving forward for the remaining 24 games?

I think Dwane Casey should start Marvin Bagley III.

Bagley has only played in two games for the Pistons, and he hasn't exactly stuffed the stat sheet, but he's shown some flashes of being pretty productive. At 6-11, and just 22 years old, Bagley is the kind of player with a ton of upside. With just 24 games left, and nothing meaningful to play for, why not put your youngest and most athletic starting five on the floor to see what you might have moving forward?

PG - Cade Cunningham, 6-6, 220

At 6-6, Cunningham might not have the prototypical point guard build, but he's outstanding as a facilitator and has already shown that he has great vision and playmaking abilities. He's also the kind of point guard who can go get a bucket pretty much any time he wants and his outside shot is coming along as his confidence grows.

SG - Saddiq Bey, 6-7, 215

Bey might only be a second-year player, but he's already become one of the more dependable three-point shooters in the league. He's knocked down the long ball at a 36% clip and has also really grown as a facilitator, which would give Cunningham a chance to play off the ball where he's also really effective.

SF - Jerami Grant, 6-8, 210

Grant could be an outstanding three and D guy if he committed himself to those areas a bit more. He's a 35% three-point shooter, which is serviceable but not lethal, and isn't quite as effective as a defender as he should be with his height and length. He's a 6-8, plus-athlete, with a wingspan north of 7-feet. That should make him a lockdown guy, but he's just not viewed that way. He also doesn't rebound typically well for his size grabbing just over four per game this year. He's still arguably the Pistons best overall player, but he could get better in a few key areas.

PF - Marvin Bagley III, 6-11, 235

At just 22 years old, Bagley has a ton of potential. He's obviously extremely long, a plus-athlete, a rim protector, a lob receiver and he has range out to the three-point line. He's still getting settled in as a Piston, but he's one of the five most talented players on the roster. That means he should be starting.

C - Isaiah Stewart, 6-8, 250

Beef Stew is just 20 years old, which gives him a ton of time to continue to develop. Right now he's not a threat outside of the paint but he's got a nice looking shot on him and has reportedly been working on increasing his range. He's built like a tank and provides great physicality despite being short for a center. He's able to bang, gain position and rebound and score garbage points at a high clip. He's the kind of player that will do all the dirty work and score 6-12 points without ever being the focal point of the offense. In my mind, he's a top tier backup center, but for now, he's a starter on what could be a very young, very athletic and very long lineup.

With Cory Joseph on the bench in this lineup, there might not be a traditional point guard on the floor, but Cunningham is plenty capable of running the offense. He's got phenomenal passing skills and is the exact guy to control the ball the majority of the time for Detroit. At a generous 6-3, Joseph is much smaller than Cunningham and is a below-average athlete. Putting him on the bench and inserting Bagley makes the Pistons much more dynamic. Plus, Joseph is exactly what you look for in a backup point guard — he's steady, he shoots the three well (43%) and has solid, veteran leadership skills.

Obviously Beef Stew is a little undersized as a true center, but he brings physicality, strength and above-average mobility to the position that can make him effective. In an ideal world, the Pistons would add a bigger starting center to the roster, who plays a lot like Stewart does, which could move Stewart to the bench where he could conceivably be one of the better backup centers in the league.

For Grant, he's good for Detroit now but just isn't moving forward. He's good enough to be a backup option on a really good team but not quite good enough to be the top option on a bad team. He's also going to have a massive contract coming his way next year, so it'll be interesting to see what the Pistons do with him. I just don't see him as a max player who wants to be the top option for a rebuilding team like Detroit. He wasn't traded this year before the deadline, so what is the plan for him? Time will tell...

I'd like to see this starting five for the remainder of the season so that way Dwane Casey and Troy Weaver can sit down together at season's end and figure out the futures for potential key guys like Bagley and Grant.