Despite their accomplishments, the Pistons need to find their Pascal Siakam — soon
The Indiana Pacers run to the NBA Finals has got me thinking.
They’re a team with a budding superstar in Tyrese Haliburton, and a supporting cast that fits his skills to a tee. They’re led by one of the best coaches in the game in Rick Carlisle and, top to bottom, the roster just make sense.
Everyone from Haliburton to Thomas Bryant fits.
But I’m not here to espouse the virtues of the 2025 Eastern Conference champs.
As great as Haliburton has been in this playoff coming out party, he’s got one hell of a sidekick next to him in Pascal Siakam. An All-Star forward with one NBA title and over a full season’s worth of playoff experience, Siakam isn’t just the Robin to Hali’s Batman.
He’s a star in his own regard.
Steadily, we’re moving into an era where the NBA isn’t dominated by Big 3s anymore. Today, two studs plus the right role players and a deep bench are in vogue.
It brings me to the Detroit Pistons .
Here, we’ve got a team with an All-Star in Cade Cunningham — still, in my opinion, a big playoff run away from really busting down the door to superstardom — and… a bunch of guys. Solid guys. Young guys. Fun guys. But, just, guys.
There’s no Siakam here, and until the Pistons have a guy like that, I don’t think they’re equipped to make a run to the NBA Finals like the Pacers have this season.
Even in a WIDEEEEEE OPEN Eastern Conference next season.
After the playoff series loss to the New York Knicks , the conversations do we go for it now or do we bring the band back? Since then, we’ve seen the top seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and defending champion Boston Celtics upset in the second round — not to mention Boston likely losing MVP candidate Jayson Tatum next season to do a ruptured Achilles tendon.
There’s nuance to this debate, though.
No, the Pistons don’t need to sell the farm to chase a title. They were the sixth seed, one year after one of the worst seasons… ever. That’s asinine. But on the same token, the Pistons re-signing Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway and Dennis Schroder without adding anything other than the No. 37 pick also feels delusional to me.
There’s a middle ground — a needle Trajan Langdon needs to thread — to push this franchise forward without sending it off course. It’s where his job really gets hard.
I think it’s finding a player of Siakam’s caliber.
Look at the final four teams in the playoffs. The Pacers had Siakam and the Thunder Jalen Williams. The Knicks with Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves with Rudy Gobert. You can crack on KAT and Gobert for days, but of those dudes can ball. They’d be welcome additions who would elevate a team like the Pistons to new heights.
I don’t know if I see that guy on the roster in Detroit right now.
Cunningham can only carry the Pistons so far. There’s more to unlock there, but he’s not LeBron in that every year you can pencil his team in as a contender to win the East — no matter what shape the rest of the roster is in.
He needs a Robin. He needs someone who could be the MVP of a conference finals, someone who can go out and score 30 points in a playoff game like Siakam did in Game 5 against the Knicks.
Mayyyyyyybeeeeeeee the Pistons have that guy and I’m just too cynical to see the forest from the trees, unable to forecast 2-3 years in the future. I’d be very surprised if anyone other than Cade came out and made the All-Star team next year.
With the Orlando Magic making a big swing for Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane on Sunday, the Pistons have, in my opinion, been passed in the Eastern Conference hierarchy:
- Indiana Pacers
- New York Knicks
- Orlando Magic
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Boston Celtics/Detroit Pistons
Obviously, we’ve got a lot of offseason to go and Bane — who fits like a glove with the Magic roster and their style of play while still being young enough to fit their timeline — is just the first of many dominos to fall.
The Pistons’ offseason can go a number of ways, but with rival teams already seizing the opportunity to make a run in this new, weakened Eastern Conference, Detroit needs to keep up or risk being left behind.