Even though the Pistons made it a point to add more perimeter shooters, they already have one of the NBA’s best on their roster in Duncan Robinson
Last year, the Detroit Pistons set out to establish themselves as one of the premier squads in the Eastern Conference, and they did as much by winning 60 regular season games en route to securing the top seed in the East. But during that timespan, the Pistons only ranked No. 17 in the league for three-point shooting percentage, which should not come as a major surprise given their focus on pushing the ball deep into the paint in an effort to take higher-leverage shots.
Along those lines, the Pistons were quite effective in their strategy considering All-Star center Jalen Duren shot 65% from the field for the second consecutive year, but many of those shots were predicated on lobs and dunks. In terms of Detroit’s ability to score from long-range, the Pistons were much less reliable from the perimeter, but that’s why President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon made it a point to improve their perimeter gravity during the offseason.
With that objective ranking relatively high on the priority list, the Pistons brought in Isaiah Joe, John Collins, Taurean Prince and Gary Harris, four players who connected on deep shots at a 40% rate (or better) last season. So, Detroit should enter the 2026-27 campaign with a much more balanced roster composition, but Duncan Robinson still deserves a lot of credit for the role that he admirably filled a season ago.
In his first year with the Pistons after spending seven years down in Miami, Robinson started in every single game (77) that he was healthy for while in the Motor City, and he stood as the team’s lone three-point threat during their pursuit of the East’s top seed. However, Robinson held the reputation of an elite marksman long before he arrived in the Motor City. Over the last five seasons, Robinson ranks No. 3 in the NBA for most games where he shot at least 60% from beyond the arc with 47 such occurrences, underscoring his ability to get hot and stay hot from the perimeter.
This season, the Pistons will have a slew of other players who possess a similar ability from distance, but Robinson should still enjoy an important role in Detroit and is one of the favorites to start on the wing when the regular season tips off. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff trusts Robinson to make the right play on the offensive end, and his defensive ability did look marginally better in Motown than it did in Miami. Perhaps that is due to the caliber of defenders around him, but the Pistons proved that they can win basketball games with Robinson in the lineup.
At the end of the regular season and in the playoffs, Robinson was hunted down and targeted a few times in isolation scenarios, so he is by no means a lockdown defender. But given the Pistons general youth, it may behoove the squad to keep Robinson heavily involved due to his three-point shooting, experience and ability to lead those around him. Besides, Robinson still ranked No. 4 in terms of three-pointers made per game in the 2026 postseason.
At this point in the offseason, re-signing Duren stands as the top agenda item for the Detroit brass, so it would be a surprise if the Pistons went after another long-range sniper over the next month or two. And if the roster looks like it does right now, expect Robinson to open the season as one of the starters in Detroit.
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