
The finish line is in sight.
The Detroit Pistons (16-58) are hobbling due to youth, injuries and jumbled lineups. But with the end of the regular season comes optimism, as is custom around these parts. Detroit, the NBA’s worst team by two games, has the best odds at landing French phenom Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft. If they remain at the bottom of the standings, the Pistons are in a position where they can’t pick lower than fifth.
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I say all of that to say this: Detroit will likely be getting a good player regardless in the 2023 NBA Draft.
To prepare for what should be an interesting offseason in the Motor City, I answer subscriber and reader questions in Part 1 of a mailbag. Part 2 will be Wednesday.
Let’s get to it.
(Questions have been lightly edited for clarity, grammar and spelling.)
Let’s say we get Scoot Henderson at No. 2. Is there a chance we make a run at trading for Jaylen Brown this summer? I feel your Brown prediction from a few years ago coming to fruition. — @VincentHaddad
For those unaware of what Mr. Haddad is referencing, two seasons or so ago, I mentioned that when Jaylen Brown became a free agent in 2024 that Detroit, like most teams in the NBA, would make a serious run at him.
Now, as time has gone, and we’ve learned even more about Brown and the things that he values, I believe the Pistons organization and the City of Detroit provide some of those qualities. Whether or not the Pistons can pry Brown away from Boston before his contract is up is another story, though.
If the Celtics feel like Brown is gone no matter what in 2024 and do trade him this summer so he doesn’t leave for nothing, it’s hard to see where Detroit could enter the conversation as a straight-up trade partner. That’s assuming that Boston is still interested in being in the NBA title hunt with 25-year-old Jayson Tatum. The Pistons’ best, most intriguing assets are all under 23 and unproven. As of this point, I just can’t see why Boston would want to place a bunch of young players around Tatum, who is one of the 10 best players in the NBA. Brown would be able to fetch the Celtics multiple players who would help the organization stay on the path toward title contention.
But maybe a three-team trade could help Detroit get into the conversation if Boston does elect to trade Brown this summer. The third team would have to have very specific qualities: a playoff-contending team ready to completely tear it down. That would allow the Celtics to acquire a star-ish-level player as well as solid rotation veterans, which the Pistons could offer in the forms of Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks. Detroit, though, would have to send some of its young pieces to this mystery third team, which I’m sure it would do if it was able to land Brown.
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Maybe I made this more complicated than it needs to be. But I just don’t see how the Pistons can land Brown via trade this summer without a third team involved unless the Celtics want to take a swing on the upside with Tatum being a top 10 player in the NBA, which I just can’t see happening.
What is the strategy behind having both Jalen Duren and James Wiseman? Will one eventually transition to the 4 by working on a more perimeter-oriented game? Could the trade have been pure asset acquisition and flipping? Or is the strategy “to let a thousand flowers bloom” and decide later? — @PistonsOldHead
There are a couple of ways to look at this, and whether or not it works, time will tell.
To start, the Pistons need to acquire as much potential talent as possible. The organization didn’t have any high-upside players when the regime switch happened and the “restoration” took place. James Wiseman was the No. 2 pick just a few seasons ago. There is potential there, and Detroit is very much in the position to see what that looks like. No one on the roster is a bona fide All-Star quite yet — even though I believe Cade Cunningham will get there. Take as many swings as you can to see what connects. That’s what rebuilds should be about until you hit one or two out of the park.
Another way to look at is what the Cavaliers are building. Pistons general manager Troy Weaver has talked about the size of the Eastern Conference’s elite teams ad nauseam. He’s stated about wanting the Pistons to return to the glory days and hang their hat on defense, size and being imposing. Now, Duren and Wiseman aren’t Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen defensively. However, both have potential on that end. Neither Allen nor Mobley are 3-point threats and Cleveland makes it work. Mobley, while he isn’t a good 3-point shooter, is a different type of monster, but there is a blueprint to success with two behemoths in the frontcourt.
Lastly, to trade for good players you need proven players and/or high-upside players to trade. Building up assets is a way for rebuilding teams to get out of the gutter. This point goes back to the first one: try to acquire and develop players to a point where they are wanted by other teams, too.
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It’s way too early to know if Wiseman/Duren will be the frontcourt of the future or even if they work well together. Both are still so raw. However, Detroit has time to figure it out.
What is the likelihood that Jaden Ivey will make NBA All-Rookie First Team? Is the difference between Scoot and Brandon Miller that drastic that if the Pistons get the No. 2 pick they have to pick him? — @EvanIsh1204
I think the battle for the last NBA All-Rookie First-Team spot is between Ivey and the Pacers’ Bennedict Mathurin. For me, there are four first-team locks: Magic’s Paolo Banchero, Jazz’s Walker Kessler, Thunder’s Jalen Williams and Kings’ Keegan Murray.
In the end, I think Ivey inches out Mathurin for the final spot. Mathurin started hot for Indiana but has since simmered, while Ivey started slow and has steadily improved over the second half of the season. Lasting impressions might get him over the top. Since Jan. 1, Ivey is first in assists among rookies and second in points per game (min. 25 games played). He’s shooting the 3-ball five percent better than Mathurin, too, since the turn of the calendar.
Ivey’s biggest marks against him are his 3.4 turnovers since Jan. 1, which leads all rookies, and his overall shooting inefficiency. Also, those in power might have stopped paying attention to the Pistons long ago. However, Ivey is being asked to do more on a worse team. It’ll be a close call.
As for your second question, I think it depends on who you talk to. Right now, I think Henderson is the better prospect if you’re just factoring in upside and All-Star potential. On the flip side, Miller has All-Star potential, too, and is a better fit for Detroit.
I’m sure there will be scouts and decision-makers in Detroit pounding the table for both prospects if the Pistons land the No. 2 pick.
Should next season be another rebuilding year? Or should the Pistons throw $25-30 million at a mid-tier player like Jerami Grant to make a run at the playoffs? — @CodyThommen9
A question like this is always hard for me to answer because of semantics. Let’s say the Pistons are lucky enough to land Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft. Would you consider the addition of him to this roster “rebuilding”? I still would. It’s still a bunch of young men with high upside. I wouldn’t expect them to take the world by storm in Year 1, and I’m still not 100 percent sure I’d pencil Detroit in as a Play-In Tournament team with Wembanyama even if health is in the Pistons’ favor.
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Now, I’d expect Detroit to prioritize winning more next season, with or without Wembanyama, and assuming a key piece doesn’t suffer a season-ending injury like Cunningham did this season. Pistons coach Dwane Casey has talked a lot lately about his philosophy coaching next season. He won’t allow guys to play through as many mistakes as he has this season. There will be less rope and that will signal a shift toward trying to win more games. Will they? Who knows, but there will be a switch in philosophy.
I do believe one of the primary focuses this season will be team building, and not just asset accumulation like it has been the past few seasons. Adding — or re-adding Grant — fills a void on this roster. No doubt. The Pistons need a two-way wing, and I don’t think $25-30 million per season for a player like that is an overpay, especially with the cap set to go up soon.
I’m not sure if I answered your questions. I think Detroit will be “rebuilding” until it’s not anymore. I think we’ll all know when that time is when we see it. If the Pistons make the Play-In Tournament next season, I think that still can be considered rebuilding. The Thunder are about to be in the postseason and they’re still rebuilding.
Again, it’s semantics.
(Photo of Jalen Duren and James Wiseman: Brian Sevald / NBAE via Getty Images)
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