The Pistons didn’t just lose Tobias Harris’ points when they reshaped their offense. They lost the guy Detroit could lean on when a possession got sticky, the veteran who could be tossed the ball and trusted to sort things out.
That’s the void the team has to fill now. Harris, even while averaging 13.3 points per game last season, functioned as the Pistons’ second option and, as coach JB Bickerstaff put it, the team’s security blanket.
Detroit could hand him the ball in a pinch and let him manufacture a shot. That kind of reliable secondary creation doesn’t just show up on a stat sheet, and it’s not something the Pistons have clearly replaced.
John Collins is the new piece in that spot, but he brings a different package. He’s a better floor spacer overall and a strong lob threat, yet he isn’t the type of scorer who can consistently create for himself off the bounce the way Harris did. Detroit added shooting this offseason, but the roster still looks thin on the kind of self-made offense Harris supplied.
That’s why Daniss Jenkins has suddenly become such a central name.
Jenkins has gone from a good story last season to a player with real responsibility attached to him. The Pistons need someone to run the offense when Cade Cunningham sits, and at the moment Jenkins looks like the most realistic answer. Ebuka Okorie may develop into that kind of option down the road, but expecting a rookie to step in and handle that job right away is too much.
For Jenkins, the ask is bigger than just filling minutes. Detroit needs him to help replace Harris’ creation, and that means more scoring production than the 10 points per game he posted last season. If he can push that closer to 15, it would give the Pistons a meaningful lift.
But the bigger challenge is the one Harris handled so well: being dependable. Detroit knew Harris would protect the ball and still get them into a good shot. That’s the part Jenkins has to grow into.
He did show an ability to attack the lane last season. The problem came after that. Jenkins struggled to finish, ranking last in the NBA in field goal percentage on drives and shooting poorly around the rim and in the floater area.
The difference between the two players is obvious, but the role the Pistons need filled is the same. Jenkins can get to that area whenever he wants, just as Harris could. The question is whether he can turn those chances into efficient offense.
With more shooting around him, Detroit doesn’t need Jenkins to become a dead-eye 3-point shooter. What it does need is much more specific: someone who can create his own shot and give the Pistons a bucket when they need one.
In Other News...
Pistons Linked To Young Bucks Guard They May Struggle To Land
The Pistons search for another source of secondary scoring and playmaking has naturally led them toward the trade market, and Milwaukee guard Ryan Rollins has surfaced as an intriguing name. After a breakout season, Rollins looks like the kind of young backcourt piece that fits Detroits timeline, giving the front office a reason to at least monitor whether a deal could be possible if the Bucks ever become open to moving him.
The problem is that Milwaukee has little obvious incentive to part with a player who is just starting to show real value, which makes any pursuit difficult before it even gets off the ground. Some speculation has already centered on what it might take to pry him loose, and the broader question for the Pistons is whether the price would be worth it when the asking point could be steep enough to test how aggressive they want to be. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Duren Idea Would Force Pistons To Rethink Their Identity
The Pistons have spent recent seasons trying to build around a young core, and Jalen Duren has been part of that foundation in the middle. So when The Game Theory Podcast floated a speculative sign-and-trade framework, it naturally landed as more than just offseason chatter. The idea centered on Detroit shifting from its current interior-first look toward a different kind of lineup balance, one that could better fit the evolving shape of the roster.
At the heart of the concept is the kind of player Detroit has been linked to in theory for a while, a stretch five who can open the floor, plus another creator who can ease some pressure on the ball-handlers. Even so, the discussion also underscored how dramatic a move like this would be for the Pistons, because it would ask them to rethink both their identity and the role Duren has played in it. For now, it reads as a thought exercise more than a realistic transaction, but it is the sort of idea that tends to linger because it touches on so many of Detroits biggest questions. [Read more 🡒]