Without Tobias Harris on the squad, the Detroit Pistons need to find another go-to scorer for the 2026-27 season
During the first two seasons of the J.B. Bickerstaff era in the Motor City, the Detroit Pistons had the luxury of leaning on longtime NBA veteran power forward Tobias Harris for a key bucket in sticky moments. Frequently referred to as the team’s “safety blanket” by Bickerstaff, there was a restabilizing element to Harris’ game that’s no longer available after his offseason departure to the Western Conference.
Without that trusty mid-range game to depend on, the Pistons are inevitably going to need another exit valve-type play they can turn to throughout the 2026-27 campaign. Fortunately, President of Basketball Operations Trajan Langdon was busy bringing in talented three-point shooters throughout the offseason, so perhaps Detroit will build some reliable perimeter sets into the offensive structure with Isaiah Joe, John Collins, Taurean Prince and Gary Harris now in the mix.
Those players all were responsible for knocking down triples at a rate greater than 40% last season, so the Pistons should have more teeth from the outside and force teams to guard all areas of the floor. But out of those new additions, only Collins is pegged as a starter right off the bat, so it would be difficult for one of the other role players to serve as the squad’s safety blanket a la Harris.
In that sense, it’s more pertinent to examine the team’s starting unit since they’re most likely to be on the floor during those clutch moments. Ausar Thompson clearly hasn’t shown enough to precipitate the responsibility of taking high-leverage shots, so it’s safe to rule out the All-Defensive First Teamer from this equation right away. Thompson converted three-pointers at a 25% clip last season, so his mechanics need a bit of offseason refinement before stepping into such a role.
As for Collins, the new Pistons four could serve as a potential candidate for that pressure-filled role. Collins can space the floor while remaining efficient with his mid-range post-ups, but he’s also a lob threat who could be valuable as the roll-man after setting picks for Cade Cunningham in the two-man game as well.
Of course, Cunningham would be looked at as Detroit’s No. 1 scoring option with the game on the line, but the role of a security blanket is inherently one that’s utilized in crucial moments. Cunningham will be the head of the snake for the Pistons all season long, so a team’s primary option doesn’t fit the bill at a granular level of what a Harris-like safety blanket would be.
In most late-game situations, the Pistons would have one or both of Duncan Robinson and Jalen Duren on the court (pending his contract situation), though the former thrives in perimeter shooting situations that bring a lot more variability. Duren, on the other hand, operates in the low post and can get to repeatable spots in the paint, so his style of play is more effective and dependable in many senses. Duren has back-to-back 65% field goal seasons under his belt, so the All-Star center has proven to be an elite play finisher around the rim in consecutive campaigns.
That’s what the Pistons need without Harris in the Motor City: a productive, dependable scoring option that will be available during clutch late-game sequences. If Duren works out a deal with the Pistons sooner rather than later, the big man could grow into that role with a litany of talented shooters around him.
