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Detroit Pistons: Offseason in Review

Detroit Pistons: Offseason in Review



After a quiet but successful offseason, the Detroit Pistons roster looks set for the 2019-2020 season. Ed Stefanski and the Pistons front office made excellent low key moves. Many of Detroit’s free agency signings went under the radar, and the Pistons had a successful draft. The Pistons may well be a sleeper 50-win team. (high emphasis on "may be"). The new recruits are joining a team that finally has some momentum after making the playoffs for the second time this decade (Both times were 8-seed sweeps), and have some genuine new pieces to be excited about:


  1. Derrick Rose


Derrick Rose is coming off a historic career resurgence with the Timberwolves. He played a total of 51 games last season averaging 18 points and 4.3 assists in 27.3 minutes of play. Rose also shot a stellar 37% of three point, something the Piston desperately needed, as shown in the playoffs as Ish Smith shot an abysmal 14.3% from the arc. Derrick Rose will likely bring the same energy off the bench that Ish smith provided, and be able to space the floor much better than smith could giving more opportunities for Blake to post up, and Brown to use his killer first-step on his drive. If the Pistons eye a higher seed next season, Rose is going to play a big part in it. Injuries are of course a major concern as Rose only played 51 games after elbow surgery cut his season short. The Pistons have planned for that as well with another sweet bargain signing:


2. Tim Frazier

Frazier has bounced around the league for a lot of his career. After getting traded from New Orleans to Milwaukee, Frazier played a total of twelve games for the Bucks, and 59 on the season. During his time on the Bucks, Fazier averaged 6.3 points and 3.5 assists in 18 minutes of action. He also shot an impressive 41.7% from three shooting two of them per game. His stats may not be all that eye-popping, however he will be a solid player to backup when Rose and Jackson are on the court together, as well, will be a reliable player when the Pistons sit Rose, which will likely be the case in most back-to-backs this season.


3. Markieff Morris

As you may have noticed, the Detroit Piston’s new front office seems to have a fascination with players coming off of injuries (D rose with his elbow, acquiring Blake last season, Reggie Jackson after two injury plagued seasons), and Morris is coming off a neck injury. Although Morris was a highly productive player for many seasons with the Wizards, as he was a key player in the Wizards playoff run where they made the second round and put up a fight against the top-seeded Celtics, losing in 6. His injury and the Wizards situation put a setback on his production this season. After getting claimed by the Thunder, he averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 16.1 minutes of action. A rather underwhelming season, but don’t let these stats fool you, as in the 2017-2018 season, he averaged 11.5 and 5.6. He also shot 36.7% from three. If he can bounce back now that he’s healthy and in a stable situation, he could provide a huge boost of the bench with some much needed floor spacing. He will likely replace Thon Maker as the primary big off the bench. He will also start several games for the Pistons as Blake will be sat for load management purposes as well. Expect Markieff to have a major role with the Pistons if they want to make a run in the playoffs.


4. Sekou Doumbouya

At 18 years old, Sekou is the youngest player drafted since the NBA banned joining the NBA straight out of high-school. Entering the NBA as the 15th pick in the draft, Doumbouya will likely have a minor role in the rotation this season to help him develop. Many future hall-of-famers have been picked at 15. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard were both picked at 15. Doumbouya has high upside, as shown in the lone Summer League game he played against the Brooklyn Nets. He scored nine points and two rebounds in 13 minutes of play. His stats were not too appealing, however, when I watched him play, he looked very athletic. His talent is evident, but his inexperience was just as clear. The coaching staff will likely spend a lot of the season helping him settle into the NBA, and may well start of the year in the G-League. Still, there is a high upside for the young man, and lots of time for him to develop.


5. Tony Snell

Pistons fans were delighted to see the departure of Jon Leuer after proving to be the face of bench warming, being replaced by Thon Maker as the backup Power Forward at the trade deadline. Before the draft, the Pistons managed to flip Leuer into the 30th pick, (traded to Cleveland for four second-round picks and cash) and Tony Snell. Tony Snell has a solid stint with the Bucks, playing backup Small Forward for All-Star and former Piston, Khris Middleton. Snell played 74 games with the Pistons averaging 6 points on a remarkable 45.2% from three. Being 6-7 (six feet, seven inches tall), Snell fills a major hole the Pistons needed to fill after getting swept by the Bucks. Ellington and Bruce Brown (Both 6-5) were assigned to guard our good friend, the 6-8 Khris Middleton who tore the Pistons to shreds shooting over every wing defender the Pistons had. Snell has the size, length, and shooting to take on the role of starting Small Forward, and will be a great mentor for Doumbouya. The one downside to this trade is Snell’s expensive contract, where he will make almost $11.4 Million, this year and a player option he will likely accept, worth nearly $12.2 Million.


6. Christain Wood

Ed Stefanski made a marvelous pick-up signing Christain Wood. Although only partially guaranteed, there is a good chance Wood will be playing behind Andre Drummond at the Center position. Wood, 23, came off an impressive eight games with the New Orleans Pelicans averaging 16.9 points and 7.9 rebounds in 23.6 minutes.During those eight games, Wood also shot 28.6% from three, not impressive, but good enough to space the floor. Wood showed a lot of promise in the G-League as well, averaging a monster 29.3 points and 14.1 rebounds, while shooting 55.9% from the field. Signing Wood to the minimum is a low-risk, possibly high-ish reward scenario.


Other solid prospects include 2-way players, Jordan Bone and Louis King.


Bone showed a lot of promise in the Summer League scoring 18 points in his only start against the Nets, along with 4 rebounds and three assists in that game. Bone will likely play in the G-League with a good chance of seeing a few NBA minutes, especially if Jackson and Rose get injured.


Louis King is a Small Forward also on a 2-way contract, has more to prove in the G-League than Bone, and will likely fight second-year Mykhailiuk for minutes as their NBA careers progress







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