The Pistons have an important roster decision on the horizon

Last night, the Detroit Pistons lost a 117-111 preseason game on the road to the Milwaukee Bucks, but Motown’s hoops team entered the contest a little short-staffed. Pistons center Jalen Duren has been sidelined for both preseason tilts so far as he’s nursing a lingering hamstring injury at the moment. Then after playing extensively against the Grizzlies on Monday, Detroit guard Jaden Ivey was given last night off as well.

Now, both Duren and Ivey are expected to be key components to the Pistons’ success this year, but they are entering the regular season at different junctures. Duren started 78 games for Detroit a year ago, and he essentially has the starting center job secured, though Isaiah Stewart is waiting in the wings to fill in when need be. Ivey, on the other hand, started 30 games last season before breaking his leg and ending what looked to be a breakout campaign for the explosive slasher.

What the two important young players share is a looming contract extension deadline. The Pistons have until Oct. 20 to decide whether they’d like to extend Duren and Ivey and lock the pair down long-term. If Detroit does not decide to pursue that avenue, Duren and Ivey would then enter the coming offseason as restricted free agents and their future would look a lot more cloudy. 

Can Duren or Ivey fulfill the Pistons No. 2 scoring role?

Now, a popular critique of the current Pistons’ roster construction is that the team lacks a true star counterpart for Cade Cunningham to work off of. Both Duren and Ivey are 21 and 23-years old respectively, so both players are young and still in the midst of their development, so it’s possible that one of the two would emerge as a proper foil for Cunningham this season. Ivey was averaging over 17 points per game for the Pistons last season, so he looks a bit closer to fulfilling that role than Duren does, though Ivey’s high-octane, fastbreak game always lended itself closer to Detroit’s offensive philosophy. 

At the moment, the important decision-makers in Detroit seem content to let the team’s young starters continue to develop before making any drastic roster moves, and Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon has expressed as much during preseason interviews. 

Cade Cunningham Scores 26 In Pistons Preseason Loss To Bucks, 117-111 Detroit’s All-NBA guard scored a casual 26 points in the Pistons preseason loss

Detroit is building a fast-paced, energetic and physical squad that runs up and down the floor, one that is as youthful as it is ambitious. If the Pistons choose to extend Duren and/or Ivey in the next 10 days, it will mark a clear indication that Langdon believes the Pistons currently have a core capable of battling with the elite of the Eastern Conference over the next several seasons. 

Now, if the Pistons do not choose to extend Duren and/or Ivey by the deadline, then Detroit will have a bit of roster flexibility to work with next offseason and more cap space to throw around as a result. 

The Detroit Pistons will play another preseason game before this deadline comes, taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 7 pm.

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