The Pistons have built something real over the last two seasons. They’ve gone from an extended playoff drought to a team that shows up with a clear identity every night: gritty, physical, and tough. Cade Cunningham drives the offense, and Detroit has stocked the roster with players like Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart and Ron Holland to bring the edge that makes opponents miserable, especially in the regular season.
That edge, though, can look a lot different once the playoffs start.
Detroit’s defensive backbone comes with a price on the other end. The spacing tightens, the driving lanes for Cunningham shrink, and the offense can get jammed up fast. With Duncan Robinson and Tobias Harris as the team’s only reliable three-point shooters, the floor can feel crowded in a hurry.
Some teams can survive with one non-shooting big in the postseason. Cleveland has done it with Jarrett Allen.
Minnesota has done it with Rudy Gobert. But carrying two non-shooters at the same time is a much tougher sell, and that’s where Thompson and Duren create a real question for Detroit.
Unless both of them become more dangerous on the perimeter, the Pistons may eventually have to make a different kind of decision.
Thompson, for his part, just locked in a five-year, $155 million rookie scale extension to remain in Detroit. The 23-year-old forward is coming off a standout defensive season and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting, so the Pistons are not exactly in a rush to move on from him.
Duren is the trickier piece. His restricted free agency situation has already stirred up controversy, and this offseason may have strained the relationship between Duren, his agent Chafie Fields, and the Pistons.
Detroit still needs Duren on the roster to open the season, especially with John Collins and Paul Reed standing as the only other dependable bigs. But whether Duren takes his $9.6 million qualifying offer before the October 1st deadline, signs a major deal with Detroit, or lands somewhere in between, it wouldn’t be surprising if his name comes up often in trade talk this year.
So yes, the Pistons are in a strong place. They’ve become a team nobody wants to face. But when it comes to truly contending in the loaded Eastern Conference, they still have some ground to cover.
In Other News...
Pistons Just Settled One Core Piece While Another Looms Larger
The Pistons checked one major box this week by locking in Ausar Thompson on a five-year, $155 million rookie-scale extension, a deal that gives Detroit long-term stability around one of its most important young pieces. It is the kind of move front offices like to make early, especially when the price lands in a range that feels manageable for a player the team clearly wants to build around.
Jalen Duren remains the next domino, and his talks with the Pistons have taken on a little more weight now that Thompsons number is on the books. Detroit has its core taking shape, but the order and cost of these extensions can matter just as much as the names attached to them, and this latest agreement has reportedly made Durens situation more complicated than it was before. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Built Something Real Now One Big Threat Hangs Over It
After a 60-win season, Detroits roster has a different look and a different feel, with the front office clearly leaning into a new blend of veteran help and continuity. The additions of John Collins, Isaiah Joe and Taurean Prince give the Pistons some experience and shooting around a group that already proved it could win at a high level, but the turnover around the edges has still been significant as the team moves into a new phase.
What makes this stretch uneasy is how much of the present and future still seems tied to Jalen Duren. His contract situation remains unresolved heading into training camp, and for a team that has already lost several rotation pieces, that is not a small detail. Detroit has built something real, but the longer this hangs around, the harder it is to ignore the possibility that one of the biggest questions is still waiting to be answered. [Read more 🡒]
Ausar Thompsons Pistons Deal Says A Lot About Detroits Next Move
The Pistons got one of their core pieces locked in this offseason, agreeing to a long-term extension with Ausar Thompson while talks with Jalen Duren remain unresolved. Thompson has quickly become central to Detroits plans alongside Cade Cunningham, and the new deal signals the franchise is committed to keeping its young nucleus together as it tries to build on its upward trajectory.
NBA insider Vince Goodwill noted that Thompson accepted a team-friendly arrangement rather than pushing for a bigger payday, a noteworthy detail given how much leverage young standouts can usually chase on a second contract. The gap between his deal and the one his brother Amen landed only adds to the intrigue around where Detroit sees Ausars value right now, and how the Pistons expect that value to grow as the roster keeps taking shape. [Read more 🡒]