The Detroit Pistons are no longer a team just trying to grow up. With their young core pushing them into the mix as one of the Eastern Conference’s top contenders, the expectations are real now - and so is the pressure.
That’s especially true heading into the 2026-27 NBA season, when several Pistons 23 and under will be asked to help drive a deeper playoff run. Some are still developing.
Some have already flashed real star upside. All of them are part of the franchise’s future, and all of them will be judged a little more sharply this season.
At the top of the pressure list is Jalen Duren, assuming he remains on the roster and a sign-and-trade doesn’t happen before the season. Duren has to answer for last year’s disappointing playoff performance, even after showing what he can do in the regular season.
Before the postseason, he posted 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, numbers that point to an All-Star center. Now the challenge is carrying that level into a regular season packed with marquee matchups against improved Eastern Conference teams and then being more efficient when the games tighten up in the playoffs.
Ausar Thompson is right behind him, though for a very different reason. In three seasons with Detroit, he has already built a reputation as one of the NBA’s best young defenders.
Last season, he led the league in steals at 2.0 per game. The issue isn’t what he does on defense - it’s what he adds on the other end.
Thompson spent the offseason working to sharpen his offense after a 2025-26 regular season in which he averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. If Detroit is going to make a run to the NBA Finals in an improved conference, that offensive leap could be the difference.
Ron Holland also lands in the conversation. The 2024 No. 5 overall pick has shown promise through two seasons, but the Pistons need more if they’re going to keep moving forward.
Holland appeared in 78 regular-season games last year and averaged 8.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 43.2 percent from the field. His role shrank in the postseason against the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers, where he averaged just 6.4 minutes and 1.4 points.
For Detroit to take the next step, a stronger season from Holland would help.
Then there’s Ebuka Okorie, the rookie guard out of Stanford, who carries the least pressure of this group but still enters with real expectations. The Pistons took him with the No. 17 overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft after one season at Stanford, where he led the Cardinal in scoring with 23.2 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game. His development will take time, but Detroit is clearly hoping he can grow into a useful bench guard and eventually become a key piece.
In Other News...
Pistons Need More Cheap Veterans Like One Key Rotation Surprise
Javonte Green ended up being one of the most useful surprises in Detroit last season, the kind of low-drama rotation piece every contender needs and every cap-strapped team appreciates. He was available every night, brought energy off the bench and gave the Pistons a reliable wing option who could defend, create extra possessions and knock down enough shots to matter, all on a one-year minimum deal that fit neatly into a roster still being built around young talent.
The Pistons brought Green back on another minimum contract, a move that says plenty about how they want to survive the next stage of roster building. As payroll pressure grows, Detroit is going to need more veterans like him, players who can fill real minutes without tying up money or future flexibility, and Green gives them exactly that sort of inexpensive stability while the bigger pieces around him continue to develop. [Read more 🡒]
Cade Cunningham Gets An Early Statement Chance Against The New Look Celtics
Opening night is giving Detroit a real early test, and it comes with the kind of spotlight Cade Cunningham usually wants. The Pistons draw Boston right away, which means the first look at the new roster will not be a quiet one. John Collins, Isaiah Joe, Gary Harris, Taurean Prince and first-round pick Ebuka Okoire all figure into the conversation as Detroit tries to show how its upgraded pieces fit around Cunningham against one of the Easts most familiar measuring sticks.
Boston does not look the same either, with Jaylen Brown out and Paul George and Mitchell Robinson joining the mix around Jayson Tatum. That changes the tone of the matchup and makes the early minutes especially interesting, because Cunningham will be asked to set the standard against a Celtics group still figuring itself out. For Detroit, it is more than just a season opener. It is a chance to see whether the Pistons can make an immediate statement against a contender that has reshaped its own identity. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Look Ready To Contend If They Can Resolve One Big Issue
The Pistons spent the offseason acting like a team that believes its window is open, not one still waiting for the right moment. After a 4-2 playoff loss to the Knicks, Detroit reworked its roster to give Cade Cunningham more help, adding John Collins and Isaiah Joe to improve the offense and deepen the rotation around Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson. It was the kind of targeted reshaping that follows a 60-win season, with the front office clearly trying to turn regular-season momentum into something sturdier in the East.
Jalen Duren remains one of the central reasons that plan still feels unfinished. Detroit has the top-end talent to matter in the conference, but it also has a negotiation that has lingered into late August, leaving one of the rosters biggest questions unresolved as other contenders around the league continue to load up. The Pistons have built enough around Cunningham to look the part, but the final step toward true contention may depend on how they handle the issue still hanging over their young core. [Read more 🡒]