Belill: Lackluster offseason will stall Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are coming off their best season since I was a newborn. Last season they won 60 games and a playoff series as the top seed in the Eastern Conference and Cade Cunningham finished fifth in MVP voting.

This offseason, the Pistons could have brought in a second true star next to Cunningham or traded for an elite frontcourt piece to solidify a championship-level team, yet their decisions have me wondering if they’ve done enough to keep pace in the East.

While the Pistons will put out a similar roster, many of the teams they will be jockeying with for position got better this offseason, making repeating as the one-seed a lot to ask.

After winning the NBA Finals, the New York Knicks brought back almost their entire core. They will have to be dethroned as the best team in the sport.

The Cavaliers traded for three-and-D man Peyton Watson. This defensive force next to Donovan Mitchell and James Harden’s offensive capabilities will make the Cavaliers a tricky opponent once again.

The Philadelphia 76ers signed LeBron James and traded for Jaylen Brown. If things click, the 76ers will be a challenging offense to stop. Sometimes attempts at a superteam work and other times they crumble, but you have to assume Philadelphia will be a threat to Detroit if they can stay healthy.

Although the Boston Celtics traded away Jaylen Brown, they signed Mitchell Robinson and will have a fully healthy Jayson Tatum. The Celtics are always tough to defend under their three-point-heavy offense.

Similarly, the Indiana Pacers will finally have a healthy Tyrese Haliburton back after missing last season with a torn ACL. Indiana is 5-1 versus Detroit with Haliburton and Pascal Siakam leading the way.

The Toronto Raptors added Kawhi Leonard to a playoff roster and the Miami Heat created one of the best front courts in the sport by adding Giannis Antetokounmpo .

A free agent, a trade and a draftee

I’m concerned that the Pistons did not do enough to keep up.

Tobias Harris, who scored a reliable 13 points per game last year, signed with the San Antonio Spurs. To replace Harris at power forward, the Pistons brought in John Collins.

Collins and Harris are similar statistically, but Collins lacks the ability to create his own shot. That won’t help the Pistons offense. To me, it’s a lateral move that doesn’t make Detroit’s roster better, especially considering Harris’ veteran leadership and impact in the locker room.

Detroit’s newest addition to the backcourt is Isaiah Joe, a shooting guard who won the 2025 NBA Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder. I like this move for Detroit.

Joe will be a useful asset off the bench to provide shooting and spell Duncan Robinson. He will stretch the floor and is another player for whom Detroit can run plays to get open shots. I wouldn’t be surprised if he cracks the starting lineup this season.

In the draft, the Pistons took Ebuka Okorie, a point guard from Stanford University who led the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring. He has similar measurables to Jalen Brunson, who just led the Knicks to a championship. At 19 years old, Okorie still has room to grow as a defender and three point shooter, and he won’t be asked to do too much as a rookie. They will likely use him off the bench. He might play a similar role to Marcus Sasser, who Detroit traded away .

Okorie already hit a game-winning layup in the Pistons’ preseason game versus the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 5. I’m curious to see how much Detroit will utilize the rookie.

Sending off Stewart and the Duren dilemma

Despite the additions to the team, I don’t agree with some of the front office decisions this summer.

Trading Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies in June still frustrates me today. Much like their fellow Detroit sports teams, the Pistons have emphasized “grit” during their recent turnaround, and Stewart was instrumental to that mentality. 

Stewart was a defensive anchor for the Pistons as the backup center. He has averaged over one block per game so far in his career, and his hustle will be missed.

The Athleticreported that the biggest factor behind trading Stewart was clearing cap space. Paul Reed, a cheaper option by about $10 million per year, will serve as an analogous backup center. I wouldn’t mind the Stewart move as much if the front office had decided to use that freed up money elsewhere.

I also have concerns about the Jalen Duren dilemma. After making his first all-star game, Detroit’s starting center essentially disappeared in the playoffs. With the season on the line against Cleveland, he scored only seven points. This was a familiar storyline throughout the playoffs. His points, rebounds and field goal percentage went down compared to the regular season.

After the playoffs, he asked for a max contract, and following negotiations, the Pistons signed him to a five-year, $200 million extension.

Even in today’s market, $40 million a year is a lot for a center who doesn’t have a jump shot and can’t protect the rim at an elite level. Sure, he is a solid defender, but his defensive rating doesn’t place him with the elite.

Duren is still yet to make a 3-pointer in his career. A center doesn’t necessarily have to be able to shoot from deep, but the lack of a consistent jumper can make spacing an issue. If you’re going to pay your center $40 million a year, he should provide consistent playoff production on both ends to justify the investment. He’s still young, but we won’t be able to justify this contract until we see how he performs come playoff time in April and May.

If Detroit is back in the playoffs, they have a head coach in JB Bickerstaff who is 16-26 in his career in the playoffs. He has yet to prove that he can lead a team deep in the playoffs.

Despite my concerns, there’s still plenty to be excited about. Detroit still has a playoff caliber roster. 

The Pistons have a deep bench. While Cunningham is the centerpiece, there are a number of pieces around him who can be the number two option. Daniss Jenkins, one of my favorites, scored 20 or more points seven times last season as a former undrafted free agent.

Furthermore, Detroit has Ausar Thompson, an elite defender, who will hopefully continue to improve offensively. With an unreliable jumpshot, he has been an offensive liability. Defenses sag off him, daring him to shoot wide open three pointers. 

I admit that you can’t make any serious takeaways from the preseason, but during the preseason, Thompson shot a higher volume of jump shots accurately and attacking defenses off the dribble. If he can do these reliably, Cunningham and the backcourt will have more flexibility offensively.

Cunningham , the franchise cornerstone, led the team in scoring and assists despite suffering a collapsed lung last March. If Thompson has a more reliable shot and ball handle, Cunningham will be able to play off the ball more. It could add a wrinkle to a team that had the second-best defense in the league, but an offense that performed in the middle of the pack.

Just because they weren’t flashy this offseason by bringing in a name like Devin Booker or Kawhi Leonard, it doesn’t mean that Detroit’s current roster won’t improve. If the parts already on the roster keep progressing, Detroit will still be in the mix for years to come. Plus, you don’t have to give up any firsts for Thompson to work on his jump shot.

ESPN’s Basketball Power Index tool projects Detroit to win approximately 49 games, giving them the three-seed .

I have them winning 47 games and finishing behind the Knicks, Cavaliers and 76ers, respectively, in the Eastern Conference. The defense should be near the top of the league again, and this roster is good enough to get them to the playoffs. Nevertheless, I expect that Detroit will lose in the first round of the playoffs. I can’t trust them until I see that they can match an elite playoff offense. I have the Thunder taking home the Larry O’Brien Trophy over the Cavaliers.

The regular season starts on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The Pistons play in the first game of the new NBA season, hosting the Celtics at 3 p.m.

Whether you’re a die hard who watches every game in your Cunningham jersey or a fan who catches a handful of games, enjoy the season. I plan on it.