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The Detroit Pistons were one of the most quiet teams in the 2023 NBA Free Agency, which started last Friday, June 30.
In total, via two separate trades, the Pistons added sharpshooting veteran Joe Harris from the Brooklyn Nets and veteran point guard Monte Morris from the Washington Wizards, along with $2M and an extra second-round pick.
All the Detroit Pistons gave up for all of this was the draft rights to Balsa Koprivica. Both Harris and Morris, who can shoot and defend well, have expiring contracts.
Detroit was very cautious with its approach in the opening days of free agency and didn't want to overpay the wrong guy as it did in the past.
The signings of Monte Morris and Joe Harris bolster the roster, but there is certainly more to come until the start of the training camp in late September.
The Detroit Pistons were one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA last season, something they have definitely addressed with the additions of Harris and Morris, who are both excellent shooters. Hence, their depth chart currently stands as follows:
- PG: Cade Cunningham/Monte Morris/Killian Hayes
- SG: Jaden Ivey/Alec Burks/Marcus Sasser
- SF: Ausar Thompson/Joe Harris/Isaiah Livers
- PF: Bojan Bogdanovic/Isaiah Stewart/Eugene Omoruyi
- C: Jalen Duren/James Wiseman/Marvin Bagley III
What could the Detroit Pistons' starting lineup look like after Harris/Morris additions?
Based on what we have seen so far, Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey (best with the ball in his hands) will start at the guard position for the Detroit Pistons, with Monte Morris (39% from the bench) coming off the bench as the back-up point guard and Killian Hayes (he approaches restricted free agency next summer) being pushed to a third-point guard role.
Alec Burks is expected to come off the bench as a shooting guard, so it remains to be seen how much time Marcus Sasser will get or whether Monty Williams will attempt to move one of his guards to bolster the frontline. We will also see if there’s enough room in the rotation for four on-ball guards on rookie contracts.
Coming off a few stellar campaigns with the Phoenix Suns, Monty Williams brings in a different coaching philosophy and has different expectations than Dwane Casey, so it is still unclear how the roation will be formed and how he values players and fits.
Expect Joe Harris and Bojan Bogdanovic to start at the forward position, with the Croatian forward coming off of a strong season, and is the most proven and efficient shooter and scorer on the roster.
He’s a more natural fit at small forward than power forward, and his presence on the roster opens the possibility for Ausar Thompson, who the Detroit Pistons selected with the fifth overall pick in the NBA Draft, beginning their rookie season coming off of the bench.
In their frontline, Jalen Duren is frontrunner to start, with James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III coming off the bench. It is unclear whether Monty Williams will stick to what Dwane Casey did last year, using two big men in the lineup together.
Overall, with Monty Williams taking over, the Detroit Pistons aim to return to playoff contention after a extensive rebuild over the past few years. The additions of Joe Harris and Monte Morris are moves to the right direction for the franchise, but the roster is not finalized yet and expect more moves/trades to come heading into September's preseason.
