The Detroit Pistons are heading into the 2026-27 season with bigger goals and a clear list of fixes. After going 60-22 and earning the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, Detroit fell short in a seven-game loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and now the focus shifts to the next jump: turning a strong season into a title run.
With the season opener against the Boston Celtics set for Oct. 20 at Little Caesars Arena, the Pistons have already spent the offseason trying to address one of their biggest problems. Shooting, especially from three-point range, was a weakness last year, and it showed. Detroit finished among the NBA’s worst three-point shooting teams, a flaw that can’t survive deep into a championship chase.
That is why general manager Trajan Langdon put so much emphasis on perimeter help. The Pistons added three players who shot better than 40 percent from beyond the arc last season: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Isaiah Joe, Milwaukee Bucks forward Taurean Prince, and Los Angeles Clippers forward John Collins.
Among that group, Joe stands out as the best shooter Detroit brought in. Like Duncan Robinson, one of the Pistons’ best weapons from deep, Joe does his best work as a catch-and-shoot threat, which is exactly the kind of profile Detroit wants more of this season.
If the Pistons are going to take another step, that improvement has to carry into both the regular season and the playoffs. Better shooting from outside is one of the biggest keys to getting from good to real contender.
The other major adjustment is floor spacing, and that ties directly into how Detroit uses Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson. Last season, especially in the postseason, the Pistons struggled badly when those two shared the floor. Their lineups with both players on the court produced some of the worst offensive efficiency in the league.
That pairing makes life harder for Cade Cunningham, who needs the floor opened up around him. Now in his third season as Detroit’s coach, J.B. Bickerstaff will have to get creative with lineups and rotations if the Pistons want to make those spacing issues less of a problem.
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For Detroit, this is the kind of situation worth monitoring closely. The Pistons have been searching for ways to add dependable backcourt help, and a young guard like McBride would fit the timeline as well as the need. If New York decides flexibility matters more than holding onto him, Detroit could be among the teams positioned to benefit from the Knicks cap squeeze, even if the exact path to a deal is still murky. [Read more 🡒]
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Paul Reed's Rise Has Made One Pistons Decision A Lot Tougher
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Jalen Durens contract situation is what makes Reeds rise matter even more. The Pistons would have a real challenge replacing Duren if he were no longer in the mix, and Reeds expanded role has quietly made that problem feel a little less theoretical. For now, he remains behind Duren on the depth chart, but Detroits growing reliance on Reed gives the team a useful layer of security as it weighs what comes next. [Read more 🡒]