The Detroit Pistons were hoping that after tripling their win total last season, they could build on that success thanks to internal development and a full season from Jaden Ivey. Ivey was lost Jan. 1, just when the Pistons started to put things together, to a broken fibula.
After an extended absence from basketball, Ivey was excited to get back to it, but, unfortunately, after experiencing discomfort in his knee, Ivey and the team opted for a surgical procedue and he will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
That is terrible news for Ivey, and also tough news for the Pistons, who are now left to scramble to replace the significant role Ivey was set to play in their lineup. Not only was he projected to be the starting shooting guard next to Cade Cunningham, he was penned in to handle the lion’s share of the backup point guard minutes when Cunningham needed a breather.
With Ivey sidelined for at least a month (let me stress again the words “at least”), I thought it made sense to survey the current state of the point guard landscape and see if there were any solutions out there.
First, let’s talk about internal candidates.
1. Marcus Sasser
The third-year point guard has shown he can score at the NBA level, but he’s also proved he has a long way to go to be trusted to run a team’s offense. In the first 19 games after Ivey went down last season, Sasser averaged 5.8 points on 38% shooting, 29% from three, got to the line barely over one time per game and had a negative net rating. In other words, it wasn’t working. The Pistons eventually traded for Dennis Schroder, who instantly made the bench more competitive.
Sasser, to put it simply, is not just a point guard. He doesn’t have the instincts, he doesn’t have the handle, and he doesn’t have the vision. He can create for himself but never for others. He’s a good shooting guard trapped in a point guard’s body.
2. Daniss Jenkins
Next on the list is the player who might steal Sasser’s role on the team out from under him. Depending on how quickly the team is motivated to move, it might keep soft auditioning the two-way player Daniss Jenkins for a more permanent role on the team. During last season on the Motor City Cruise, Jenkins grew exponentially as a performer. In the Summer League and preseason, Jenkins looked even more capable. He ran the offense, got in the lane, hit his threes, and played solid defense. He shines best against lesser competition (no surprise there), but he has shown it is worth investing in his development.
The big question for the Pistons will be whether Jenkins can graduate from developmental player to trusted rotation player this soon. He’s a bit undersized at 6-foot-3 and 165 pounds, and he can have some trouble navigating around the NBA’s best athletes. Still, if the Pistons are confident Ivey can return sooner rather than later, they could rely on the two-way guard as they try to weather the storm in the season’s first trimester.
3. Dalano Banton
Banton is a supersized guard at 6-foot-9 who has bounced around the NBA and is currently on a non-guaranteed deal fighting for a roster spot on the Dallas Mavericks. He is fighting former Pistons guard Dennis Smith Jr. for what is likely the final guard spot up for grabs, and it seems like it’s an uphill climb for Banton.
He’s a fringe guard type with a solid handle and plus size. Size has been something the Pistons have been interested in since the end of last season. The team valued size in all its replacements as it transitions from Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley to Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson. That defensive potential and size in the backcourt could appeal to the Pistons as a stopgap while Ivey recovers, and if he comes back, they can slide Banton into a spot-forward role for defense and extra ball handling.
4. Markelle Fultz
I’ve never been a huge Fultz guy, but I’m puzzled why he isn’t currently on an NBA roster. If I’m surveying the drecks of the point guard market and coming up empty, maybe Fultz could be a better shooting guard in a point guard role than Marcus Sasser could be. He’d be a better distributor, certainly, but he’d be yet another non-shooter on the floor. What can I say, the options are bad! If this had happened a few days ago, at least the Pistons could have tried to sign Cam Payne or something.
5. All your favorite Ex-Pistons
We already mentioned former Piston Dennis Smith Jr., and if he is surprisingly cut by the Mavs, heck, add him to the list. But he’s not the only former Motown point guard looking for a job. If you look at a list of available point guards, it is littered with former Pistons.
You have Monte Morris who had a decidedly quiet year in Phoenix last season. But he’s a Detroit native and maybe he wants to be close from home? Though, it must be said, his six-game audition with the Psistons in 2023 was decidedly sad.
Delon Wright is also available after being cut by the Pacers a week ago. Wright was playing in his first preseason game for the club when he suffered a nasty head injury and was promptly let go to make room for Cam Payne. It’s unclear if Wright would actually be forced to miss time with the injury.
There is also Cory Joseph, of course, who is the platonic ideal of a stopgap player who won’t be a disaster on the court. If that is what Detroit wants, perhaps a reunion is in order.
Finally, there is Reggie Jackson, who looked to be past his last legs in a 31-game stint with the Philadelphia 76ers last year.
Bonus: Malik Beasley
It’s still unclear if Beasley would even be cleared to play if he signed with an NBA club, due to his legal issues stemming from a gambling investigation. Still, one of the best 3-point shooters of last season is on the open market. The Pistons need a body. The math is pretty simple.