The Pistons didn’t just add Isaiah Joe for the shooting. They brought him in because there’s a path for him to do a little more than spot up and let it fly.
That part of his game is already well known. Joe has made a living as an off-ball threat, darting around screens and punishing defenders with movement threes.
Detroit absolutely wants that. But the move to the Pistons also opens the door for something bigger: a chance to show more as a creator with the ball in his hands.
There’s some real pull-up juice there, even if it hasn’t been the centerpiece of his game. Last season, 21% of Joe’s shot attempts came on pull-ups, and he posted a 57% effective field goal percentage on those looks. Cade Cunningham, by comparison, finished at 49% on pull-ups, though he took them at a much higher volume.
Joe’s off-ball work often feeds directly into those chances. He can sprint into a dribble sequence when a defender flies at him on a closeout, and that’s where he’s been able to flash more than just catch-and-shoot value. In Oklahoma City, though, the Thunder’s wing depth limited how often he got those reps.
Detroit may not have that luxury. The Pistons have lost some shot creation this offseason and need someone to help replace it, especially with the second unit. Their backup point guard situation is shaky and built around inexperienced players, which could leave more ball-handling responsibility for Joe if he proves he can handle it.
That’s a meaningful shift from what he had in Oklahoma City. Last season, Detroit leaned on Caris LeVert for extra creation off the bench, but he didn’t give them what they needed because of poor decision-making and inefficient play. Joe hasn’t had those same problems, which gives him a chance to be a steadier option.
And outside of Cade, the Pistons don’t have proven ball handlers elsewhere on the roster. That stands in sharp contrast to the Thunder, where Joe was usually sharing the floor with at least one high-end creator in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jalen Williams. Even when Williams missed time last season, Oklahoma City still had more top-level ball handling in Ajay Mitchell.
So Joe may already be capable of more than people have seen. He just never had the kind of runway that could bring it out. Detroit, with its thinner creation options, looks like the place where that skill set finally gets a real chance to surface.
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