Despite finishing as the top seed in the East during the regular season, the Detroit Pistons have quite a few questions heading into the 2026-27 campaign
When Media Day begins for the Detroit Pistons later today, the Central Division team will field questions for the first time since President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon met with reporters back in mid-May. At the time, the Pistons had just been eliminated from the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but Langdon painted an optimistic picture that took into account how far Detroit had come in such a short time.
To be fair, Langdon was spot on with his sentiment that the culture and atmosphere around the hoops team has changed in the Motor City since he arrived with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, but there is still room to grow. The Pistons could have used more perimeter scoring in the playoffs apart from Duncan Robinson and Cade Cunningham’s best efforts, and the team suffered from Jalen Duren’s decisive disappearance.
With a new season on the horizon, the team has an opportunity to carve out a new path, but they’ll have to clear up a few pressing matters in the meantime.
1. When Does Jalen Duren Rejoin The Team?
The restricted free agency saga between Jalen Duren and the Pistons has dragged on longer than either side would have preferred. The latest indication is that Duren’s camp has rebuked a five-year, $200 million deal, so the two sides are at another impasse with the qualifying offer deadline around the corner on Oct. 1.
While the Pistons could extend that deadline all the way to March 1 in theory, there are no indications that Detroit would do so, which means a significant piece of Duren’s leverage could expire in just a few days. Since the Pistons waived Gary Harris yesterday, it looks like the club is clearing space for when Duren eventually does re-sign.
2. Who Will Emerge As The Backup PG?
Last season, the Pistons were in a bit of a tight situation when Marcus Sasser was unavailable due to injury at the start of the year. Thankfully, Daniss Jenkins emerged not long after as a competent ball handler and playmaker coming out of the G-League, but the Pistons were fortunate in that regard.
Now one year later, the Pistons could have a bit of a logjam since Jenkins will compete with first-round draft pick Ebuka Okorie and veteran Elijah Harkless for minutes behind Cunningham. Jenkins is already familiar with Bickerstaff’s system, but Okorie performed well in the Summer League at just under a 20-point per game pace. Harkless, on the other hand, is a lockdown defender at the point-of-attack who can score and create on the other end when asked to do so, so the Pistons have a bevy of options at the one.
3. How Does John Collins Fit Into The Starting Five?
With Tobias Harris in the Western Conference, the favorite to start at power forward is John Collins, who joins the squad from the Los Angeles Clippers. While Harris had mid-range expertise, Collins is a three-point threat who can also finish plays above the rim, so he brings a few new elements to the Detroit offense. Collins’ production dropped a bit last season, but perhaps Cunningham can unlock a resurgence from the Wake Forest product in his new Eastern Conference setting.
Despite Collins’ status as a veteran, the stretch four could take a bit of time to settle in next to his new teammates, so training camp and the pre-season will be a helpful period for the big man.
