The Pistons open training camp today, and that puts real basketball just under a month away. The biggest spotlight still sits on Jalen Duren, but Detroit also has a handful of new faces to sort through and several players trying to force their way into the rotation.
Kevin Huerter stands out as the most interesting sleeper in camp. Detroit clearly saw enough to give him a surprising two-year deal after he had largely become an afterthought in the Jaden Ivey trade.
Huerter brings something the rest of the bench shooters may not: a chance to create a little offense and serve as a connector through his passing. He also gives the Pistons some insurance if a trade ever requires Duncan Robinson for salary matching.
What Huerter really needs now is a rotation spot, and the early buzz is encouraging. He has reportedly looked strong all summer from the outside, and the bigger development is that he finally enters camp healthy.
He was hurt when Detroit traded for him and never fully recovered, then had offseason surgery. Now he’s back and trying to prove he belongs, with the chance to become a useful wild card if he can supply the bench creation the Pistons could use.
John Ukomadu is another name worth filing away. Detroit signed him to a 10-day training camp contract after he put together a strong G-League season and took on a larger role in international competition over the summer.
He made the G-League All-Star team and was recognized as one of the league’s best defenders, which should fit with JB Bickerstaff’s preference for versatile defenders. Ukomadu also knocked down more than 41 percent of his threes on more than four attempts per game last season, so a two-way contract out of camp would not be a surprise.
Ugonna Onyenso is in a different spot, but he may matter more than expected. After watching him in Summer League, where he moved like a house, it’s hard to project him as part of the Pistons’ next season. Still, with the Duren situation unresolved, Onyenso is currently listed as the third center behind Paul Reed and Tolu Smith, and that remains the case until Duren arrives in camp or Detroit adds someone else.
However this shakes out, the Pistons’ center depth has already taken a hit this summer. That leaves Smith and Onyenso higher on the depth chart than they might have expected, and it makes a strong camp from both players worthwhile in case Detroit needs an emergency backup.
In Other News...
Pistons Are Running Out Of Room In The Jalen Duren Standoff
Walker Kesslers camp helped force a resolution in Utah by signaling he would take the qualifying offer and head toward restricted free agency, a move that pushed the Jazz to deal him to the Lakers. In Detroit, the Jalen Duren situation has taken on a different shape but the same kind of pressure, with the Pistons still determined to keep the young big man in place as part of their long-term core even as negotiations continue and frustration lingers.
The Pistons have already shown a willingness to move the offer needle to keep the conversation going, but the sides still have not bridged the gap. Durens dissatisfaction has kept this from looking like a simple checkbox item, and the clock only makes the stakes higher for a front office that wants clarity without giving up on a player it views as central to what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Face A Jalen Duren Decision That Could Reshape The Frontcourt
Jalen Durens next move is now on the clock, and it has the potential to reshape the Pistons frontcourt sooner rather than later. Detroit has put the restricted free agent in position to choose between a $9.6 million qualifying offer and a larger deal, whether that comes from the Pistons or another suitor, with the decision hanging over the franchise as it weighs how to build around its young core.
Around the league, the kind of trade chatter that follows a situation like this has already started to take shape, with multi-team frameworks being floated as ways to create a clean outcome for Detroit and other interested clubs. Nothing official is in place yet, which leaves the Pistons staring at a deadline-driven crossroads and a frontcourt picture that could change quickly once Duren and his camp make their call. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Duren Drama Hangs Over A Pistons Camp Full Of Rotation Fights
Training camp opened with the Pistons already juggling more than the usual roster questions, and Jalen Durens contract holdout has put a sharper edge on everything in the building. Detroit is trying to sort through a camp that figures to feel unusually unsettled, with several spots in the rotation up for grabs and the team still waiting on clarity around one of its most important young bigs.
Ron Holland II is among the players looking to make his case, and the guard and wing battles add another layer to the uncertainty. There is real competition in the backcourt and on the perimeter, and with Durens situation still hanging over the group, the early days of camp have the feel of a team trying to define itself while one of its bigger decisions remains unresolved. [Read more 🡒]