Team Overview
It’s been about 10 years since the Detroit Pistons won an NBA title. Joe Dumars, at one time, was considered to be (arguably) the best general manager in basketball. Now, the Pistons are just another lottery lounger. Detroit finished the 2012-13 season ranked No. 22 in points per game (94.9 ppg). At 29-53, the Pistons were tied with the Washington Wizards for the eighth worst record in the league.
Strengths
The biggest strength for the Pistons is their youth. Of the 14 players on last year’s team, 10 of them are under 30. Brandon Knight has shown flashes of being a reliable scoring option. He’s only 21, so he still has room to grow. Detroit also has Andre Drummond, 19, who came on strong at the end of the year. Greg Monroe is one of the best young centers in the league, and he’s 23. Together, Monroe and Drummond can team up with Knight to form a young nucleus in the Motor City. Add in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Detroit’s first-round pick from the 2013 NBA Draft, and the Pistons might have something.
Weaknesses
Detroit thought it had its franchise point guard when it drafted Brandon Knight out of Kentucky in 2011, but Knight averaged more threes than he did assists. It traded for Jose Calderon from Toronto this past season to play point guard. Calderon is probably leaving via free agency. Knight needs to shoot less and pass more if the Pistons want to compete. Protecting the ball will also be key. Detroit turned the ball over 14.6 times a game, tied for fifth worst in the NBA. Knight, again, can be the guy to fix that.
Team Needs
The roster the Pistons have is athletic and exciting, but their biggest need is perimeter shooting. The addition of Caldwell-Pope, considered one of the best shooters in the draft, can help. Detroit also needs a true point guard to run the show in Mo-town. Knight seems to be more comfortable shooting the ball, and having a pass first point guard might help him play his game. Calderon could come back, but on the wrong side of 30, he won’t come cheap. Plus, Detroit went 12-24 after acquiring him from the Raptors. When it’s all boiled down, the Pistons need someone to distribute the ball and someone to hit from deep consistently.
Plan of Action
The Pistons have been very active so far this off-season. They’ve inquired about Rudy Gay from the Raptors, but that was shot down by Toronto. Detroit has been linked to free agent shooting guard O.J. Mayo, who proved in Dallas last year that he can score at will. The free agent that it should be targeting is point guard Brandon Jennings. Not only would the Pistons steal him away from their division rival the Milwaukee Bucks, but Jennings would electrify that offense. If Jennings won’t bite, Detroit should stick with this roster, stay invested in its nucleus and play for the lottery next season. Adding Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker to that team would bring it full circle. Bringing back Monroe is also a key.
Cap Situation
Disregarding the rookie free agents still negotiating their contracts, the Pistons are only on the books for $34, 410, 525 this upcoming season. The payroll drops below $6 million for the 2014-15 season. Monroe is due for a big payday after this next season, so that will shake things up a bit. No matter what happens this off-season, Detroit will have financial flexibility.
Free Agency
Again, Jennings is the ideal free agent to go after this off-season, but if he doesn’t want to make the change from Buck to Piston, Calderon could end up being re-signed. Andre Iguodala might also be an option, but that would require keeping Knight at the point because Iguodala would solidify either the shooting guard or small forward positions.
Outlook
Detroit really isn’t that far off from getting back to the playoffs. With newly hired Head Coach Maurice Cheeks, Knight might finally get the development he needs – Cheeks was a decent point guard in his day with a career average of 7.6 assists a game. If Cheeks can fix Knight, the turnovers, and the scoring droughts, then the Pistons might actually compete on a nightly basis next season. Looking past next season, the future is already in uniform. Drummond, Knight and Monroe are the “big three” Detroit should be building around. Caldwell-Pope might be the fourth to that group, but the jury’s still out on him because he hasn’t even played an NBA game yet. The mindset for Pistons fans now should be to lose. If Detroit can add Wiggins or Parker, it could have a championship contender by 2017.
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