The Detroit Pistons are entering the 2026-27 season with one of the deepest rosters in the league. The front office didn't make the splashy offseason moves some fans were hoping for, but this is still a stacked team. Head coach JB Bickerstaff will have the opportunity once again to run 10- or 11-man rotations all season.
This will be especially important this season. With the new lottery rules, there will be less tanking. The schedule will be harder, and teams have been prioritizing physicality, tempo, and intensity over the last few seasons. Deep and young teams like the Pistons will have the advantage during the regular season.
This also creates some fascinating position battles before the season. One of the most interesting competitions will be for the backup point guard spot. With eight days left before the season opener, the Pistons have a Daniss Jenkins vs. Ebuka Okorie decision to make.
Daniss Jenkins vs. Ebuka Okorie will be an ongoing battle for the Pistons
Of course, Jenkins is the more proven name here. He was an important part of the rotation last season. His ability to run the offense when Cade Cunningham isn't on the floor, while also being a more than capable backcourt partner for Cade, gives him the inside track for significant rotation minutes.
But there is a reason the Pistons traded up to draft Okorie with the No. 17 pick in the NBA Draft. He is 19 years old and a raw prospect, so it may take some time before he is a sure-fire rotation player. But JB Bickerstaff will certainly want to give Okorie a shot to earn a role.
It's not like Jenkins is an indispensable member of the rotation. He just earned his first standard contract last year and will be making $4 million this season. His out-of-nowhere emergence was impressive last season, but he was still a highly inconsistent and inefficient player, with 52.5% True Shooting in the regular season. This dipped all the way down to 47.2% in the playoffs.
This is not such a high bar that Okorie can't reach. The rookie out of Stanford has shown intriguing flashes in the two preseason games, including a game-winning bucket against the Suns. He has averaged 10.5 points in 18.5 minutes per game on 9/19 from the field. He had seven assists and three turnovers.
Of course, there is a chance the Pistons may want to have both Jenkins and Okorie in the rotation. This would give them additional ball-handling and playmaking. Given that Bickerstaff has been talking about taking some of the shot-creation burden off Cunningham, this could be an interesting attempt.
The problem is, there are simply not enough minutes to go around. Besides Chaz Lanier, Taurean Prince, and Tolu Smith, there aren't any other players on the 15-man roster who are projected to be out of the rotation to begin the season. Unless Bickerstaff is willing to make Kevin Huerter and/or Javonte Green healthy scratches, it's hard to see how Okorie and Jenkins both play significant minutes.
There will be injuries, to be sure. Everyone will get their chances. But whether Okorie and Jenkins both get as many minutes as they are presumably hoping for will be a storyline to watch all year.
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