If the Detroit Pistons do not move up in the first round, then look for Bennett Stirtz as a player who could immediately bolster the team’s three-point shooting prowess
Since the 2026 NBA Draft is set to kick off in a matter of weeks, the Detroit Pistons have an opportunity to patch what few gaps exist on their roster after a 60-win regular season. Since Detroit entered the playoffs as the one seed, the Pistons have clear foundational structure with a young core or Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson to build around, but the squad could use a few slight tweaks in order to challenge for a title.
Naturally, the draft is one avenue that Pistons President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon can pursue to bolster Detroit’s unit. During his end of season press conference, Langdon admitted that the team looked for extra ball handlers and outside shooters at the Trade Deadline in February but said some of those options were far too expensive at that time. So, the Pistons could be of the mindset where adding low-cost shooters and technically-sound guards through the draft may be the preferred route to travel.
If the Pistons target that criteria with the No. 21 selection overall, Langdon should have several talented options to choose from if big men like Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr. are no longer available, and one name who has risen up mock drafts lately is Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz.
Standing at 6-3, Stirtz took on a lion’s share of the workload running Iowa’s offense last season by averaging over 37 minutes per game, but that’s a quality that’s stayed consistent since his time at Drake as well. But Stirtz had no trouble staying productive despite that constant stamina test with 19.8 points and 4.4 assists per game while connecting on long-range shots at a nearly 36% clip. As a floor general, Stirtz helped lead Iowa to an Elite Eight run last season and dissected opposing defenses along the way, though his patented quick-release three-point shot faltered during March Madness. Still, Stirtz’s body of work shows that he’s one of the more steady perimeter shooters in the draft, so he’s likely to receive some consideration from a Pistons team that covets both ball handling and three-point range.
Now, the Pistons may look in other directions if they feel comfortable with both Daniss Jenkins and Marcus Sasser’s ability to run the backup point guard spot in Motown, but do not be surprised if the team elects to have some optionality in the backcourt. Towards the end of the regular season and during the playoffs, the Pistons operated with both Cunningham and Jenkins in the backcourt at the same time, so Detroit clearly sees the value in flexing to a smaller lineup that can spread the floor at various times throughout the season.
Near the Trade Deadline, Kevin Huerter was brought into Detroit to help shore up the Pistons’ long-range threat (or lack thereof), but Red Velvet suffered a left adductor strain that left the veteran shooter hobbled and unavailable for much of the postseason. Without Huerter’s influence, the Pistons were left with Cunningham and Duncan Robinson as the team’s two main three-point shooters during the playoffs, so both the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavs decided to pack the paint to obfuscate Cunningham’s ability to create offense. But with another laser-like shooter of Stirtz’s ability on the perimeter alongside Robinson, perhaps the Pistons would have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for a heated postseason rematch against the New York Knicks.
For more information on the latest Detroit Pistons team or player news, follow @EricJRutter on X for continued basketball coverage. Also be sure to look up Roundtable - Michigan Men Media on Facebook for continued social media coverage of all the sporting teams in the Mitten.
