Media Day is done, preseason is around the corner, and the Pistons are back at the point where expectation starts to feel real. Detroit is coming off one of its strongest seasons in years - a No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and 60 wins - but the next step is bigger.
The goal is no longer just to contend. It’s to push past the Eastern Conference Semifinals and give Detroit its first NBA championship since 2004.
A lot of that still runs through Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, and Jalen Duren. But if the Pistons are going to raise their ceiling this season, three other players could end up swinging the whole thing.
One of the biggest issues Detroit had to solve was shooting. The Pistons finished near the bottom of the league in three-point percentage last season, and that problem showed up in the postseason when they fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals despite owning the top seed. That’s why the addition of Duncan Robinson and Isaiah Joe matters so much, especially Joe.
Joe arrived in Detroit in an offseason trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he brings exactly the kind of shot-making the Pistons were missing. In his final season with Oklahoma City, which ended in a thrilling Western Conference Finals series against the San Antonio Spurs, he hit 42.3 percent from beyond the arc and averaged 11.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. He’s a catch-and-shoot threat who also plays with defensive intensity, traits that fit neatly with a Pistons group that leans on its defense.
John Collins is another addition who could matter in a big way. With Tobias Harris gone to the San Antonio Spurs, Collins steps in as the new veteran voice.
He signed a three-year, $51 million extension with Detroit this offseason after spending one season with the Los Angeles Clippers. Collins averaged 13.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 55.2 percent from the field.
His value goes beyond the numbers: he’s efficient, rebounds well, and can operate at multiple positions, which gives Detroit more flexibility and helps address the spacing issues that showed up when the games got tighter.
Then there’s Daniss Jenkins, whose rise became one of the clearest storylines from Detroit’s 2025-26 breakthrough. He went from appearing in just seven games the year before to carving out a steady role in the rotation, finishing with averages of 9.3 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game.
The postseason only strengthened his case. Jenkins even started a few games and delivered multiple double-digit scoring nights in the series loss to Cleveland.
Now he heads into 2026-27 with a bigger opportunity in front of him. His minutes are expected to look different, and his role could grow with them. If that happens, he may end up being one of the quiet reasons Detroit gets where it wants to go.
In Other News...
Pistons Face A Jalen Duren Decision Bigger Than One Big Name
The Pistons offseason frontcourt conversation is getting more interesting by the day, and Jalen Duren sits right in the middle of it. If Detroit ends up exploring a sign-and-trade with Washington, the discussion around a deal is not just about finding a big name, but about finding the right kind of big man to fit alongside the rest of the roster.
Anthony Davis is the kind of headline that always gets attention, but the stronger basketball case may be for a younger, more workable fit in Alex Sarr. His age and complementary skill set make him a cleaner match for Detroits timeline, even if Washington is expected to be protective of a player it views as central to its rebuild. That tension leaves the Pistons with a familiar kind of summer decision, one where the best basketball answer and the realistic trade answer are not necessarily the same thing. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Still Have One Big Jalen Duren Decision Hanging Over Them
The Pistons have spent plenty of this season sorting through the future around their young core, and one of the biggest questions still sits with Jalen Duren. The All-NBA center has become a central part of Detroits long-term picture, which makes his contract situation the kind of issue that can linger even when the rest of the roster chatter is about development and progress.
For a team trying to move from promise to certainty, Durens next step matters beyond the box score. Detroit can see the upside, but the timing and structure of a deal are still a major part of the conversation, and this is the kind of standoff that can shape how the front office approaches the rest of the offseason. For now, it remains one of the clearest unresolved threads in the Pistons buildup. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Duren Decision Could Reshape The Pistons Far Beyond This Season
Jalen Durens next move is becoming one of the more intriguing contract storylines in Detroit, and it carries implications far beyond a single season. The Pistons center is weighing a $9.6 million qualifying offer, a rare path that would put him on a very short-term deal and make him something of an outlier in league history if he ever reached the kind of All-NBA or All-Star level usually associated with players who take that route.
The deadline gives the situation real urgency, and the stakes cut in both directions for Detroit and Duren. If he goes this way, he would be betting on himself to build toward a much larger payday later, while the Pistons would be left planning around a major frontcourt piece on a contract that does not provide long-term certainty. The broader question is whether the security of a bigger deal now outweighs the gamble of waiting, and that decision could reshape how the franchise handles its roster going forward. [Read more 🡒]