The Detroit Pistons spent their offseason with the playoffs in mind, not the grind of the regular season. That was the whole point of the roster tweaks Trajan Langdon made: build a team that can be more dangerous when the games tighten up.
Last season, Detroit leaned on a pretty basic offensive approach built around trying to overpower teams in the paint. That didn’t carry nearly as well once the postseason arrived. This time, the Pistons added shooting so they can keep defense and spacing on the floor together, something they didn’t have enough of a year ago when the bench brought plenty of defense but very little shooting.
That shift gives Detroit a different kind of weapon. Instead of choosing between size, defense and spacing, the Pistons now have a lineup they can deploy in the playoffs that should create mismatches without giving up what they do best on the other end.
The most intriguing version might be the small-ball group with John Collins at center. That setup would let Detroit add another shooter while also putting two of its best, most versatile defenders on the floor at the same time.
A lineup of Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Joe, Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland II and John Collins brings a lot to the table. It’s athletic.
It’s flexible. It can defend, it can run and it still has enough shooting to matter.
That was the missing piece last season. Thompson and Holland are both elite defenders, but neither one can shoot, and Detroit simply didn’t have enough spacing to play them together often. Now the Pistons can roll out Cunningham with two shooters and two defenders, which opens the door to switching everything, forcing turnovers and getting out in transition.
The picture is pretty easy to see: Ausar and Holland making life miserable on the perimeter, jumping passing lanes, creating deflections and steals, then taking off the other way. Cunningham would be the organizer in the middle, with Joe and Collins sprinting to the 3-point line for open looks in transition.
That same group can hold up in the half court if Thompson grows as a playmaker. And if Holland starts hitting a few 3-pionters, the lineup could become Detroit’s most balanced five-man unit.
Those are still big “ifs,” but the shooting upgrade gives the Pistons some cushion even if those steps don’t happen right away.
Long term, the ideal is obvious: Thompson and Holland together, because they’re Detroit’s two best and most versatile defenders, surrounded by enough shooting and athleticism to make life easier for Cunningham. If that pairing never really works, though, the Pistons may eventually have to think hard about the long-term viability of Holland.
In Other News...
Pistons Rookie Could Create A Bench Decision Detroit Didn't Expect
Ebuka Okorie enters camp with the kind of uphill climb a rookie guard usually gets from a veteran-heavy backcourt. After showing some promise in Summer League, the Detroit guard still has to turn that brief burst into something sturdier against a group of established names already ahead of him in the mix, leaving his immediate NBA role very much up in the air.
Still, there is a path for Okorie to matter sooner than expected if he keeps building on that early momentum. The Pistons are sorting through rotation pieces and backcourt depth, and a rookie who forces his way into the picture can change more than just the nightly minutes distribution, especially if his emergence nudges Detroit toward a harder decision on one of its veteran guards. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Face A Costly Cason Wallace Question They Cant Ignore
The idea of Detroit going after Cason Wallace has begun as the kind of front-office conversation that comes with a real price tag attached, not a simple buy-low swing. Wallace has already shown enough in Oklahoma City to make him an appealing target, and the appeal for the Pistons is obvious: a young guard who fits a long-term build and could help stabilize the backcourt if the timing and the market lined up.
But any pursuit would have to pass a harsher test than fit alone, because the Thunder are in no mood to give away a player they still value, especially with restricted free agency looming. For Detroit, the question is whether Wallaces current production and upside are enough to justify the kind of commitment a trade would demand, or whether the better move is to keep looking for guard help without paying a premium that could reshape the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons May Regret Where Tobias Harris Ended Up
When the Pistons passed on bringing Tobias Harris back, it looked like a routine roster decision in a summer of sorting priorities. Harris quickly landed with the San Antonio Spurs instead, and for Detroit it is the kind of move that can linger if the veteran wing finds the right fit elsewhere. He has long offered the sort of versatile scoring that can smooth out a teams offense without needing the ball in his hands every trip, which is exactly why he remained a useful name on the market.
For the Spurs, the appeal is easy to see. They needed more veteran shot creation, especially for the kinds of possessions that decide playoff games, and Harris gives them another option when the offense tightens up and the clock shrinks. If he settles into that role, San Antonio could get a real boost in the postseason chase, while Detroit is left wondering whether it let a stabilizing piece slip away at the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]