The Pistons Didn't Make the Big Moves They Needed to Make

And so, one of the teams that I've found really interesting to think about in terms of the grand scheme of how their offseason went and how kind of they're slotting into their respective conference competitions are the Pistons.

I really wanted to take some time to discuss their offseason because I think it's one of the more interesting teams in terms of, uh, they made, they made moves and they made, they made moves that were specifically designed to address their weaknesses, but I don't know if it's entirely clear.

Uh, if they got that much better when compared to last season, obviously, Detroit won 60 games last season on the back of the second-best defense in the NBA behind only the Thunder and defensive rating.

But they swapped out a couple of great, uh, one very good defender and a solid defender.

They traded Isaiah Stewart to the Grizzlies, and then they let Tobias Harris leave in free agency.

After that, they drafted uh Abuka Okori out of Stanford after he scored 23 points a game as a freshman.

So you have, you know, a little diminutive point guard off the bench who can get buckets.

They signed John Collins to what initially seemed to be an expensive free agent deal but ended up being effectively a 1-year, $17 million dollar deal to replace Harris in the starting lineup.

And then they traded for Isaiah Joe as the Thunder continued to try to avoid the second apron, offloaded Joe, who is one of the best movement shooters in the NBA but is not exactly a high minutes, high usage player.

Uh, a lot of transactions, the rotation is gonna look really, really different in, uh, Detroit next season and assuming that Darren is gonna be back in the lineup, maybe not happy with his salary, but he is gonna be back in the lineup.

I think we're pretty, you know, confident in that.

I think it's gonna be very intriguing to see how their games have changed or how their game will change based on kind of the different personnel they're gonna have out there.

So Blake, I mean, give me your, you know, you're a Detroit guy, so how about you give me your impressions of what the Pistons did this offseason.

Yeah, so, uh, it's interesting in the context of the Eastern Conference because obviously, Miami went out and got Giannis, Philly.

just formed a super team out of nowhere, the Knicks are the defending champions, and he's getting Tyrese Halliburton back, you can go on and on with this conference.

The Pistons were the #1 seed last year, they won 60 games, pretty much out of nowhere.

I think it's, it's a question if they'll get there, but I'm not, um, as convinced that they're going to take as much of a step back or be an afterthought in this conference, because Cade Cunningham is still up there as one of the best players, definitely one of the best guards in the conference, in the entire NBA.

I mean, he was first team all NBA last year, and I mean, Jalen Brunson was the guy he was in the playoffs, but I think as long as you have Cade Cunningham and a strong enough supporting cast around him, Jalen Durn is obviously still the biggest question mark after he had an All-Star season and really uh was fairly absent for most of, if not all of the postseason, um, but like you said, he should be back next year, whether it's on a new deal or he plays out the qualifying offer.

I do think losing Tobias Harris is a big loss.

I mean, I like what the Spurs did, going out to get him, uh, he's just been a great presence both on the floor and in the locker room, and this team that has been growing and took two steps forward in both the seasons since he reunited with the team.

I do think John Collins is a decent uh fit.

I actually like it, maybe a bit more of the consensus, because He's a lob threat.

Cade Cunningham is one of those guys who needs rim runners next to him, that's why Jalen Durran works so well.

Asar Thompson doesn't give you much on offense, but um, he can make things happen near the rim a little bit too, or at least catch lobs from Cade.

So I like what Collins brings in that sense, and he can also space the floor a little bit.

The biggest issue over the past few seasons in Detroit has been shooting, and then specifically last season when you take this step and are trying to suddenly make a run to the Eastern Conference Finals, maybe even the NBA Finals, there's just not enough next Cade, uh, playmaking wise to get things going.

Um, you mentioned they drafted a Corey, I'm not sure that they did enough to address the secondary ball handling.

And facilitating aspect, but I think as long as Cade's there and continues to be the player that he is, like, He can take this team to, to the next level.

I mean, the next level now is the Eastern Conference Finals, which will be hard to do in this that conference, but I think they should still be up there as, as a contender, maybe not in the same tier as like a Philly and New York, especially while this Jalen Durran situation works itself out, but I, I'm not sure, I think they got better, actually, I'm not sure how much better, I don't think they got as much better as some other teams in the conference, but I think stylistically, like, replacing Collins with Harris works, you had more shooting with Isaiah Joe, um, and then you still have some strong depth pieces, like Isaiah Stewart is a big loss defensively, but Paul Reed was great in the playoffs, so.

I think it, they'll, I think they'll still be still be in there.

I'm not sure if you can make a run against some of the other teams in the east, but I think they'll at least be a tough opponent that that no one really wants to see in the playoffs.

I think you really hit the nail on the head with all your references to Cade Cunningham because I think, while I have a different opinion on whether or not the Pistons got better, I think the decision-making was adhering to uh the right North Star, which is all of these moves were made to make Cade Cunningham's life easier, and it will absolutely be easier.

They, as you noted, they didn't really get another ball handler.

He doesn't have the true number 2 that you want out of a contender in terms of a guy who can create on his own when Cade is both on and off the floor, who can actually demand defenses, pay attention to him when Cade has the ball outside of simply being a shooting or a lob threat.

But just from a, you know, kind of how the flow of the game is gonna unfold now, it is going to be more versatile for the Pistons.

They are going to have more ways to score.

It's not just dish it out to Harris or Caris LeVert in the corner and hope they can make a shot or do one of their unrecommended isolations that sometimes works out, but most of the time didn't.

But these guys, the thing is that they, they took away two reliable defenders, and Stewart at times was a great, great defender, and I think that, I mean, that, and they replaced them with guys who can be attacked on that end, who are not just like, you know, could be passable, but like, Okori expectations for him defensively should obviously be in the basement as a rookie and a smaller, smaller athlete.

Isaiah Joe is not out there to play defense.

Collins has the size, he has the frame to defend at a decent level, but he is a little small for a true 4, and if you compare him to Harris, who, you know, big, solid, smart defender who knows kind of where he needs to be and is able to switch on probably most players who aren't a 5 or a 1.

It is, I think, those ripple effects are going to be felt in a pretty serious way.

And then there is the fact of the matter that as a result of the lack of secondary, you know, kind of dangerous playmakers, I don't see how the playoffs are gonna go that much differently in regards to how defenses are gonna load up on Cade and how much attention they're gonna pay to his teammates.

They're gonna dare these guys to beat them.

Are they more capable of beating them than last year's roster in that regard?

I think there's the possibility, but it's not like we're looking at a bunch of proven playoff performance here either.

Um, but they're competing in a much tougher Eastern Conference on top of, kind of, our perception of the team.

This is not, you know, I think 60 wins from such a young team, you think maybe it's the start of, like, the next great East power.

I think it's hard to buy into that completely for the Pistons.

They are absolutely great.

They are good with the potential to be great.

And I don't wanna sound too low on them.

I think we're talking like 4 or 5 seed at the absolute worst.

This isn't, especially given where they were 2 or 3 years ago, I mean, you know, what an awesome thing.

But when we're talking about the championship expectations they now carry, these moves were a little underwhelming to me.

I think it makes, but Again, most important thing is that Cade's life is easier, and it will be.

There will be different ways for them to score, different ways for him to do his, kind of, you know, kind of manipulate the defense and open up those cracks, and it's gonna be, it's gonna be really interesting to see, particularly the Paul Reed of it all, because that guy was awesome during the playoffs.

I really enjoyed watching Paul Reed go to work and against the Cavaliers in particular, um, and More run for him is gonna be really, really interesting because I think there's a big untapped bag there of offensive potential, and I, I mean, he has the tools to be, like, a useful defender.

I know it's not really, it hasn't been his calling card, but as sort of a, you know, a quicker 5, those guys can definitely bring, bring something to the table, so.

Overall, we're a little split on what they did, but I do wanna credit, uh, Trajan Langdon in the front office for not sitting still.

They made, they made moves.

They did not wanna bank on kind of what happened this year is what is going to be the foundation going forward.

They knew there were flaws in this team they had to address, and I think they tried to address them.

Did they fix them?

No, but I don't, I also, this isn't one of those situations where I'm sitting here pointing at three other things and being like, oh, well, they could have done this and that would have solved that problem.

It's more they Did what they could with the resources they had and the opportunities that they had.

And they're still set up to make a move, like this isn't a team that's made a big splash in the trade market, they still own all their picks, they have Ron Holland, they could trade, I mean, maybe he takes a leap, they, I mean, the Duran of it all, this is all unknown until we know what happens with Jalen Duran, but Uh, like Sar Thompson is extension eligible too.

I think the Durran, Thompson, and Cade are like the clear core right now.

I mean, Duran's a little bit murky with his contract stuff, but like a lot of the defense concerns that you mentioned, I agree with.

Isaiah Stewart was huge defensively, he, it was weird when he fell out of the playoff rotation for a little bit.

I do think Assar Thompson is like that good of a defender, where maybe he could make up for some defensive holes that the team has to plug, and their calling card was their defense last year, and Cade was able to make things work on on offense.

So, as long as they're able to keep things up defensively at a similar level, and Cade Cunningham still does what he does, I think they'll be toward the top of the Eastern Conference, and Maybe this is a team that looks to make a splash at the trade deadline.

They've been very, um, not hesitant, I don't, I just maybe think the right move hasn't presented itself, but they're in as good a position as any other team to make a move with some of the.

Acquisitions they made this offseason, and not just automatically maxing Jalen Duran, which just keeps them flexible moving forward.

So, I think their offseason's a little TBD.