Detroit Pistons need to fill void at Small Forward
Without a starting-caliber small forward on the roster, the Detroit Pistons front office needs to acquire a talented small forward this offseason.
Entering this offseason, the Detroit Pistons have several questions. Are they going to resign Reggie Jackson? What role will Brandon Jennings play next season as he recovers from a ruptured left achilles tendon? Who will play the power forward spot with the likely departure of Greg Monroe?
But the most important question is, with a long drought of not having a consistent, good starter at small forward, who will start at the position for the Pistons next year?
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The small forwards on the Pistons roster at the end of the 2015 season consisted of
Caron Butler, Pistons legend
Tayshaun Prince,
Cartier Martinand
Quincy Miller. With this, all four of them aren’t suitable to be the every game starter for the Pistons for the 2015-16 season.
For Prince and Martin, they both are unrestricted free agents this summer (Martin has a player option), while Miller and Butler are under contract for next year.
Even with Miller and Butler returning, neither are a starting-caliber player, as Butler averaged 5.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.6 SPG while shooting .407 from the field in 78 games (21 started) and Miller only playing in a total of ten games this season.
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Even if Martin were to return to Detroit next year, he would barely make an impact on the position as a whole as he only played in 23 games in the 2014-15 campaign, averaging 1.6 PPG, 0.9 RPG and 0.6 APG.
Thus, the acquisition of a small forward is the most essential position the Pistons need to target this offseason.
While I recently wrote about how Draymond Green should be their offseason focus and would be a good fit for the Pistons, it’s highly unlikely that the Pistons will be able to drag him away from the hands of the Golden State Warriors.
That leaves two options: The NBA Draft and free agency.
With the draft, this years class has a lot of good first round talent at small forward that includes Duke’s Justise Winslow, Arizona’s Stanley Johnson, Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker and the Jayhawks Kelly Oubre.
This gives the Pistons plentiful options with the 8th overall pick (assuming they don’t move during the draft lottery) to fill the position they need the most. And, with a weaker small forward free agent class (in terms of unrestricted free agents), this makes selecting a young player in the draft, a more promising option.
Even with the need of a power forward, snagging a small forward in the draft should be the the smartest thing to do for Stan Van Gundy and Co., due to this year’s power forward free agent class.
Ranging from Trail Blazers star LaMarcus Aldridge and Cavs star Kevin Love, to veterans or players who still have potential like the Lakers Ed Davis and the former Piston current Raptor Amir Johnson, there are enough solid power forwards the Pistons could pursue during free agency.
Plus with decent depth at power forward with Anthony Tolliver as a key role player, it allows the Pistons to focus on getting a small forward this offseason, and more specifically through the draft. If the Pistons don’t get the small forward they’ve desperately needed for the past several years, we could see another struggling season for the Pistons.
Do you think the Detroit Pistons need a small forward this offseason? Should they even attempt to acquire a small forward or focus on hole at power forward that will be left by Greg Monroe? Share your opinion in the comment section below.
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