The Detroit Pistons' desperate need for shooting was made obvious in their season opener against the Chicago Bulls. They only got up a measly 24 three-pointers and only made seven, and the spacing was suboptimal, with Cade Cunningham facing multiple defenders packing the paint due to the lack of shooting threats around him.
With a roster spot still open, the Pistons need to turn to the free agent market to add a competent sharpshooter.
Pistons Must Sign Garrison Matthews to Fill Final Roster Spot
The best shooter available on the market who could make the Pistons rotation is Garrison Mathews. The 29-year-old shooting guard was released by the New York Knicks before the season after spending training camp and preseason with them. Now, Mathews is looking for his new home, and it's hard to think of a better fit than the Pistons.
A big factor behind Detroit's offensive improvement last season was the volume of threes Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. were getting up. There was a ton of intentionality and a concerted effort to get the two veteran shooters good looks to help unlock the rest of the offense. Beasley ended up averaging 16.1 three-point attempts per 100 possessions last season, hitting 41.6%. Mathews would be a worthy flier to get a similar volume up from downtown.
Mathews spent the last 2.5 seasons with the Hawks, hitting 41.3% of his threes. He attempted 12.3 threes per 100 possessions in that span, a very solid mark. He has consistently been a part of the rotation in Atlanta as one of their most trusted shooters.
Admittedly, Mathews doesn't do much else on the basketball court. He rarely takes any twos, never gets to the free-throw line, and doesn't create for his teammates. He is also a limited defensive player. However, the Pistons don't need him to do anything else. It's not like Beasley and Hardaway were some amazing all-around players. They played a specific role, and Mathews can help fill that role to a degree, at least in limited minutes.
It's not like Mathews is a traffic cone defensively, either. He has decent positional size at 6'5" and 215 lbs. He can't guard the most athletic perimeter players, but he has the strength to hold his own against your typical NBA small forward.
Instead of having the 15th roster spot unused, the Pistons should bring in a sharpshooter like Matthews, who they can throw out there to juice the offense — at least, if they are not going to sign Daniss Jenkins to a guaranteed roster spot.