The Pistons still need help in the backcourt, but Kevin Porter Jr. is not the answer.
Detroit could use more punch from its bench guards, and Porter’s name popped up after the Bucks surprisingly waived him. Even so, he’s not the kind of move the Pistons should be chasing. The issues that have followed him around - shaky efficiency and unreliable defense - are exactly the kind of flaws that get exposed fast for a team trying to build toward winning basketball.
At first glance, the numbers can tempt you. Porter averaged 17 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists per game last season, production that looks useful next to Cade Cunningham or in a reserve role behind him.
But the appeal fades once you dig in. His game has long carried the same problems that once limited Marcus Sasser’s impact with the Pistons.
The biggest concern is how he gets to those points. Porter leans too heavily on difficult shots, and when those shots stop falling, the offense can bog down in a hurry. Last season, he shot 46% from the field and 32% from three, numbers that underline how inconsistent the efficiency really was.
Defense is another problem. Porter averaged 2.2 steals per game, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.
He gambles instead of staying sound positionally, which can create a few highlight plays while also leaving plenty of breakdowns behind him. Detroit doesn’t need another guard who can disrupt its defensive identity unless he’s bringing real star-level production on the other end.
That’s why the Pistons should aim higher if they go looking for another creator. They need a cleaner upgrade, not a flyer on someone who is still easy to question. A player who fits Detroit’s timeline and raises the ceiling should be the target, not someone who needs to be tested against playoff expectations.
There’s also the fit issue. Porter has never shown he can thrive without dominating the ball, and that could come at the expense of players like Ausar Thompson.
For a contender, that tradeoff is hard to justify. For Detroit, it’s even harder.
At 25, Porter is in a strange spot: too old for a rebuilding team to treat like a long-term project, and not good enough to be the kind of difference-maker a contender wants. If the Pistons want another creator, they should wait for a better one. Porter isn’t it, and he may not even be worth a minimum deal.
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Miami brings a different kind of problem, and one that could force Detroit to think differently about its rotation and matchups. The Heat can lean on Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, and both present the sort of physical challenges that can drag a tweener out of his comfort zone. However the Pistons choose to handle it, this is the kind of early-season game that can reveal whether the coaching staff has a workable plan for Collins or whether more adjustments are still coming. [Read more 🡒]