The Detroit Pistons spent last season fighting an obvious problem: they didn’t have enough 3-point shooting. That’s why the trade for Isaiah Joe from the OKC Thunder matters, and why the arrival of Joe - along with John Collins and Taurean Prince - should give the half-court offense more room to breathe after spacing became a clear issue in the playoffs.
That also creates a real decision for coach JB Bickerstaff.
For now, the assumption has been that Duncan Robinson keeps his starting job from last season. But Joe gives Detroit another elite movement shooter, and if Bickerstaff wants a different look, the starting five could change.
Both players make their living running off screens, finding open windows and hitting a high percentage of their looks. The shooting fits.
The question is which version of that skill set Bickerstaff prefers.
The contrast between them is where the battle gets interesting.
Joe is the more straightforward spot-up threat. He’s not going to do much off the bounce, and he’s not the guy you lean on to create for others.
Robinson, though, brings more to the table as an offensive connector. When the shot isn’t there, he keeps the ball moving.
He’s also improved at attacking closeouts off the dribble, which makes his overall offensive game more varied.
Defense may be the swing factor.
Joe is clearly the better defender, and Robinson’s defense was a focus in the playoffs when he was repeatedly attacked. Robinson held up at times, but Bickerstaff may value having a stronger defender in the opening group without giving up any shooting. That same logic would apply in clutch time, too, when the Pistons need spacing but may not want Robinson exposed on defense.
Joe isn’t an All-Defense candidate, but he’s also not a player opponents can hunt the way they can with Robinson. He uses his length well, gets into passing lanes and plays sound team defense. In other words, he raises the perimeter floor on that end without costing Detroit anything from deep.
So while Robinson may open the season in the starting five, Joe could end up with equal or even more minutes per game. There’s also a chance the Pistons use both together at times if they want maximum shooting on the floor. Lineups with Robinson, Joe and Collins around Cade/Ausar or Cade/Duren would stretch the court and make it much harder for defenses to crowd the lane the way so many teams did last season.
For Detroit, that’s the kind of problem worth having. The Pistons haven’t had two elite shooters on the roster at the same time in Cade Cunningham’s career, and this could become one of the team’s most interesting battles because both players can shoot - they just bring different strengths on each end.
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