The Detroit Pistons made a handful of roster moves during the offseason, so their ideal reserve group is going to look a little different in the 2026-27 season
Throughout the course of the 2025-26 regular season where the Detroit Pistons won 60 games and claimed the conference’s top seed, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff showed not even an ounce of hesitation to turn to his bench during crucial moments. Since Duncan Robinson is a 40% three-point sniper who’s decidedly more effective on offense and Ausar Thompson is an on-ball defensive menace who has not yet developed a consistent scoring pattern, there were countless moments when Bickerstaff opted to adjust the lineup late in games to put his players in a position to succeed.
Now, many of those offense/defense swaps were done contextually in the flow of the game, but the point of emphasis is that Bickerstaff, who finished in the top three for Coach of the Year, understands the value of keeping his guys fresh and utilizing each player that he can. That’s exactly how Daniss Jenkins rose from a G-League standout on a two-way to a Pistons rotation regular last season, so the reserve squad in Detroit is expected to have another huge impact after President of Basketball Operation retooled the team over the offseason.
At point guard, the aforementioned Jenkins is expected to duke it out with rookie Ebuka Okorie throughout training camp and the pre-season, but give an edge to DJ after proving his ability to score and create at an NBA level last year. Both players can initiate offense in the half-court as facilitators while possessing the rare ability to self-create when necessary, so they’re likely to battle for the second-string role to start the year.
Bumping over to the two, the Pistons have a lot more options considering the wealth of players who could play on the wing. In fact, it would be better to group the two and the three together for the purpose of this discussion considering the similarity of what’s required on a positional basis.
Detroit brought in Isaiah Joe during the summer to bolster their long-range shooting credentials, and the former Oklahoma City Thunder guard connected on threes at a 40% clip last season, so he’s expected to occupy a consistent role right out of the gate. Kevin Huerter, Gary Harris and Taurean Prince could all play off-ball at the two or the three as well, so there’s a healthy stable of options for the Pistons on the wing for the 2026-27 campaign with Joe leading the way.
At the power forward spot, Tobias Harris left Motown during free agency and joined the San Antonio Spurs, but the Pistons pivoted by acquiring John Collins in a sign-and-trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. Collins is expected to start at the four, but that means Ron Holland II, Javonte Green or even Prince could back up the new Piston for the upcoming season depending on the rest of the rotation. Out of those three, Holland is entering a pivotal year in his development, so the Pistons could give him every opportunity to show that he’s going to stick around long-term.
Moving down low, Paul Reed is slated to begin the season as Detroit’s No. 2 center as long as Jalen Duren’s deal is completed before the start of the season, and B-Ball Paul is rather entrenched in that role. Behind him, both Tolu Smith and Ugonna Onyenso could realistically compete for the third-string spot since they each have two-way eligibility with the Motor City Cruise, so that is one position battle to watch heading into training camp. Reed’s spot, however, is fairly well-defined given his production and adaptability.
