Isaiah Stewart’s 3-point shooting, Jaden Ivey’s likelihood to start and rounding out the roster before training camp opens kick start us today for this week’s edition of Pistons Mailbag.
Darrell (Detroit): Will Charlie Moore, Jules Bernard and Stanley Umude be playing for the Motor City Cruise? Those guys left an impression during Summer League.
Langlois: Umude is the safest bet of the three to be part of the Motor City Cruise as he was reported to have signed an Exhibit 10 contract following Summer League, though there has been no official announcement made by the Pistons. It’s quite possible they have an agreement but not a signed contract at this point. The Pistons currently have 16 players signed to standard contracts – one over the regular-season maximum – and both of their two-way contract slots (Braxton Key, Buddy Boeheim) filled. If we assume Umude comes to camp on an Exhibit 10 contract, that leaves one other spot to get to the maximum of 20 on the camp roster – if, that is, the Pistons resolve the Kemba Walker situation. Right now, Walker pushes their camp roster total to 20. By signing an Exhibit 10 deal, a player can get a bonus of up to $50,000 if they’re waived by cutdown day and then sign on with the NBA parent team’s G League affiliate. Bernard was impressive in Las Vegas and showed playmaking potential at 6-foot-7 that wasn’t much on display at UCLA. Bernard said that he’d played point guard before arriving at UCLA and was looking forward to getting the chance to be more of a playmaker in Summer League. If there’s another Exhibit 10 deal that goes out to a player who was part of the Pistons roster in Las Vegas, Bernard stands a good chance to be the guy. The Pistons can’t steer any other players to the Cruise, though. Players who don’t participate in training camp on Exhibit 10 contracts are exposed to the G League draft. It’s possible the Cruise could draft Moore or someone like Kameron McGusty, another Summer League participant.
Langlois: I think a trade before training camp is a possibility but I don’t know that it rises to the level of a likelihood. Most teams have rosters that are pretty close to set if not filled. Some of the teams that don’t have a full roster might be wary of taking on any additional players at a salary above the league minimum due to tax considerations. The Pistons have a seeming surplus of big men – Isaiah Stewart, Marvin Bagley III, Nerlens Noel and rookie Jalen Duren in addition to Olynyk – but if Stewart is really in line for minutes at power forward and if the Pistons also feel comfortable with Bagley and Olynyk playing in tandem with either of Stewart and Noel, then the logjam is a little less of an issue. I don’t see it as a pressing concern because there isn’t a glaring hole elsewhere on the roster. Could they use another wing? Sure. But between Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Livers, Hamidou Diallo, Kevin Knox, Rodney McGruder and Cade Cunningham – he’s got the size to defend wings even if he’s the Pistons de facto point guard offensively – they’ve got the numbers to navigate the schedule. Don’t forget Braxton Key, either, playing on a two-way contract. Once the season starts and injuries create roster needs around the league, a trade becomes a more realistic option.
@nojfotra_artist/IG: How many threes is Stew getting this season? Is it too soon to call him a stretch?
Langlois: How many he’ll take is a good question and how many he makes will get us closer to an answer. If he’s making them at a respectable clip, the Pistons will not hesitate to use him in a manner than allows him to take more. Whether Stewart plays more than a modicum of minutes as a power forward will swing more on how he holds up defensively – and I suspect he’ll hold up just fine guarding away from the rim. He’s got nimble footwork and moves his hips well for such a substantially built player. I’m not expecting him to become a volume 3-point shooter, but if he takes one or two a game and hits them at something close to league average, that’s a pretty encouraging start. He took 18 over the final eight games of last season, though it bears keeping in mind the Pistons were playing with a short roster in many of those games and doing a little experimentation. I’d put the over/under for Stewart’s 3-point attempts per game at 1.5. That would be 123 for the season if he played all 82 games.
@anthony.fk8_/IG: Concerned with the roster’s lack of outside shooting?
Langlois: Short term, it’s a concern. Long term, it’s really nothing to worry about. If the Pistons were in position to contend for a title, yeah, they’d be more intent on finding ways to improve their 3-point shooting. But they’re two years into a bottom-up rebuilding and the overriding objective to date has been talent accumulation. That’s come at the expense of ideal roster compatibility. That said, I think they’re going to be able to put lineups on the floor that provide enough 3-point shooting. Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Livers and Cade Cunningham are all going to mature as above-average 3-point shooters at some point and I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens this season. I expect we’ll say the same about Jaden Ivey once he gets his feet wet. Isaiah Stewart has shown signs of providing 3-point shooting from a power position. Those are five core parts of the future. Once Troy Weaver feels he’s got a foundation in place that forms the basis of a future contender – and we’re getting remarkably close to that point given that it’s still only been two years since he took over and completely remade the roster – then you can tinker around the edges. In the meantime, veterans like Alec Burks, Kelly Olynyk, Rodney McGruder and Cory Joseph can help plug holes in lineups to provide 3-point threats.
@bejdnsJaken1838: When are the Pistons going to buy out Kemba Walker officially? I’m curious as a fan to see where he goes. I understand Troy Weaver wants to keep his options open, but it’s almost September.
Langlois: The possibility exists to get something in trade out of Walker’s contract, I suppose, and that’s reason enough to push any final determination out until the Pistons are forced to make a decision. In concert with answers to previous questions, if the Pistons need to create a spot for a training camp invitation, that would be one motivation to move on. So if they want to get the full complement of 20 players at camp without Walker, then they would have a compelling reason to complete a buyout agreement, if that’s the course they choose. It’s also possible they could need Walker’s contract in combination with another player’s contract as part of a larger deal, maybe one that would net them future assets. The likeliest outcome remains less dramatic than that – agreeing to a buyout and moving on. But there’s no harm to the Pistons or to Walker’s camp, really, in letting it play out. Any team that has interest in bringing Walker on board would have already expressed that sentiment to his camp. They won’t be caught off-guard when the time comes.
@NBAFantasyBible: Who will be the starting center? Duren looks amazing.
Langlois: Isaiah Stewart is a heavy favorite to start and that most likely would be at center. He played the bulk of his Summer League minutes at power forward, which not only served to give him a comfort level at that position but also allowed the Pistons to give Jalen Duren minutes and the chance to play alongside a comparable talent. It’s conceivable that Stewart eventually would transition to more of a hybrid center/power forward role in the NBA but I would expect that to be a gradual process. How the Pistons handle Duren is going to be one of the more critical issues facing the front office and Dwane Casey early in the season. He’s 18 and needs to play, but is he – and the Pistons – best served by having that come in real NBA games or should he soak up some experience at the G League level while the Pistons parcel out minutes up front to Stewart, Kelly Olynyk, Marvin Bagley III and Nerlens Noel? The Pistons have four veteran rotation-quality big men, so there’s no need to force feed Duren. Conversely, Duren’s importance to their future is such that they have to consider what’s best for his development, as well.
@e_old_/IG: Could you see a scenario where the Pistons give up on Killian by the trade deadline?
Langlois: There’s a very low probability of that. It implies that Hayes has had a disappointing season, but if he’s had a disappointing season what’s his trade value? Pretty non-existent at that point. So unless there are extenuating circumstances, what’s the incentive to trade him in mid-season? Hayes just turned 21. The Pistons are still optimistic, in public and behind the scenes, that Hayes will find his footing. If that changes between now and mid-February, there’s only one reasonable scenario where Hayes is traded: as a throw-in to balance a trade from a roster or salary-cap standpoint.
@barkotthegoat15016/IG: Is Jaden Ivey potentially starting?
Langlois: I’d give only three players better odds to start: Cade Cunningham, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart. If Ivey stays healthy through the preseason so he gets to Oct. 19 in good shape, as long as he’s satisfied Dwane Casey with his level of competitiveness and his attention to detail defensively, I think he’s a very good bet to land in the starting lineup. His talent and athleticism are enough in a vacuum to merit such a role, but he also provides a synergy with Cade Cunningham that’s appealing. Cunningham’s playmaking genius takes the burden of being primary playmaker off of Ivey’s plate and Ivey’s athleticism makes him the preferred option to defend opposing point guards, relieving Cunningham of that burden.
@jaxson.peterson9/IG: Who do you think is going to have a breakout season?
Langlois: If there’s a clear answer to that by season’s end, is that a good sign or a bad sign for the Pistons? When there are so many young players on a roster – 11 of the 16 players signed to standard contracts are 24 or younger – there are breakout candidates in every corner of the locker room. “Breakout” means different things to different players, too. Cade Cunningham could break out as an All-Star candidate. Isaiah Livers could break out as a quality NBA starter. Both of those things would be incredibly meaningful for the future of the Pistons. Jaden Ivey could break out as a clearly identifiable future star. That, too, would be monumental for the Pistons. If you’re using “breakout” conventionally – someone who goes from the fringe to the core – then I’ll go with Livers. I think he’s going to establish himself as an NBA starter and a good one by season’s end.
@harrison.hamlin/IG: Hey, Keith, have any players stayed in Detroit this summer and wired with the staff?
Langlois: Yes, a bunch. Part of that is the Pistons have such a young roster and part of it is that even veterans find it attractive to drop in and work out at the state-of-the-art Pistons Performance Center. There was a large group in town working out together just last week. A big chunk of the team plans to get together in Los Angeles to work out collectively in the coming days. Then everybody is going to catch their breath for a week or so before coming together for voluntary team workouts in Detroit after Labor Day up until training camp opening the week of Sept. 26.