Detroit Pistons: Scouting The End Of The Bench

Through one exhibition game, the Detroit Pistons are holding onto a peerless 1-0 record in the aftermath of their thrilling 109-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. Rookie Ebuka Okorie capped off the Pistons’ 18-point comeback in the preseason opener with a game-winner at the rim, and there’s a sense of cautious optimism around the Motor City’s hoops squad. 

Soon enough, All-Star center Jalen Duren will return to the lineup, and the Pistons can then focus on how the team meshes together with so many new additions from the offseason. So far, Detroit threw John Collins right into the fire with starting time at the four against Phoenix, though both Isaiah Joe and Taurean Prince logged double-digit minutes in their debuts as well. 

But since the stakes are considerably lower in the preseason, the Pistons had an opportunity to test out a few new wrinkles, such as Collins at center in small-ball lineups, before the regular season arrives on Oct. 20. Similarly, Detroit could afford to loosen the fourth quarter rotation since it was an exhibition matchup, and one could even argue that the younger players benefited from the back-and-forth nature of the final frame on Monday. 

At that point, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff primarily turned to a five-man combination of Okorie, Prince, Isaac Jones, Ron Holland II and Chaz Lanier. That’s the unit that closed out the final seven minutes of the Pistons preseason opener, so Detroit prioritized another growth opportunity for that lineup of youngster sub-Prince.

According to the NBA’s rules, each team is permitted to dress up to 21 players during the preseason given the league’s looser roster regulations, and the Pistons took advantage of this by doling out playing time to 11 members of the bench on Monday night. The Suns, on the other hand, worked 12 reserve players into the mix, but that’s the essence of the preseason as a time for fringe players to make a final case for regular playing time. 

From that final five, the trio of Holland, Prince and Okorie are expected to find themselves in Detroit’s regular rotation. Jones has impressed during his short time in Motown, though he’s adjusted through an offseason position change, but he’s a big man to keep in mind as well. Lanier most likely needs a strong preseason campaign to crack the Pistons’ regular rotation, but he’ll be given an opportunity to do so after his stellar Summer League performance. 

Along those lines, there were four players who remained on the Pistons bench throughout their comeback: Jalen Duren, John Ukomadu, Elijah Harkless and Ugonna Onyenso. Of that group, Duren’s situation is atypical since he’s ramping up activity after signing his five-year deal, but the big man should be back in the lineup sooner rather than later. 

With regards to Harkless, keep an eye on his playing time through Detroit’s final three preseason games. Though he’s still adjusting to life in the Motor City, Harkless has shot the ball well during training camp and still needs an opportunity to stake his claim as a backcourt option for the Pistons during the 2026-27 campaign. Ukomadu, to a lesser degree, could factor into the equation if Detroit runs into significant injury trouble during the regular season, but there’s already a backlog of talented wings who Bickerstaff trusts ahead of him on the depth chart right now. 

As for Onyenso, the former Virginia center should see an uptick in playing time as the preseason progresses well. Though he’s lauded for his shot-swatting ability as a 7-foot rim protector, Onyenso has an underrated jumper that could become useful if the Pistons continue to seek spacing from their center moving forward, but he’s most likely to contribute as a play-finisher and second-chance generator offensively to start out his pro career.