The Detroit Pistons were a paint-focused squad last year, but they’ve added a host of dangerous three-point shooters this offseason
From a roster construction standpoint, the Detroit Pistons were uniquely equipped to not just target the interior but to dominate the painted area during the 2025-26 campaign. With 22-year old All-Star center Jalen Duren on the inside to receive clean looks from Cade Cunningham, the Pistons played a physical brand of offensive ball that took advantage of their hard-nosed intensity.
Now, that approach did come at the expense of their three-point shooting, which is a category that the Pistons ranked No. 17 during the regular season, but they found a way to make it work through 82 games by ranking No. 2 in paint points en route to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. So, their offensive style was a give-and-take scenario that emphasized high-percentage looks down low while shielding their inefficiency from long-range at the same time.
From a distance of five feet or less to the rim, the Pistons attempted the second-most field goals in the NBA a year ago with 35.9 shots per game, but they stood middle of the pack in terms of efficiency from that range. However, Detroit’s volume down low and impact during the transition game was enough to mask their lack of perimeter shooting, although that imbalance eventually caught up to them in the postseason.
This offseason, Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon made it a focus to rework the squad’s strengths and weaknesses so that Detroit can potentially make it further in the playoffs this year. As a result of that intention, the Pistons parted ways with Isaiah Stewart, Tobias Harris, Marcus Sasser and Caris LeVert while bringing in John Collins, Isaiah Joe, Taurean Prince and Gary Harris during the offseason. The latter four players all connected on three-pointers at a 40% or higher rate during the regular season last year, so it is clear that the Pistons are shifting their focus in an effort to spread out the floor with more balance.
Even though the Pistons are still embroiled in contract negotiations with restricted free agent Jalen Duren, the big man is still expected to be a big part of their plan moving forward, especially after posting a 65% rate or greater from the field for the second consecutive year. When receiving the ball in a dangerous area, Duren is one of the more reliable scorers in the league, and he showcased that trait in spades by posting 19.5 points per game. That production helped earn JD a second-place finish for the Most Improved Player award while shooting a much better percentage from the free throw line, so do not expect for Detroit to turn away from their center at this point even though contract discussions have reached a relatively uncomfortable tenor as of late.
Now that Cunningham is surrounded by dangerous shooters to use in conjunction with Duncan Robinson, the team will have a new composition that should allow for more spacing on the offensive end, which will benefit both their All-Star point guard and Duren with ostensibly more room to operate. The Pistons are still going to stay true to their physical, in-your-face style, but the team will have another dynamic next season in terms of how they score.
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