James Wiseman or Marvin Bagley III: Who should be Detroit Pistons' backup big man?
In consecutive seasons, the Detroit Pistons swung deadline trades for young, athletic big men. It appears only one of them will be a rotation fixture this season.
James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III are “more than likely” competing for the backup big man minutes, head coach Monty Williams said after practice on Wednesday. It reflects the Pistons’ improved depth and recent investments at the position — Isaiah Stewart has earned strong reviews from Williams after signing a four-year extension in July, and Jalen Duren is also in a favorable position after a strong rookie season and a good showing with Team USA’s select team.
On Monday, Williams said he’s putting pressure on both Duren and Stewart to step up defensively at power forward and center. Although things can change before the regular season tips off on Oct. 25, they’re currently positioned to be Detroit’s starting frontcourt.
FREE HOOPS: Detroit Pistons to host free open practice Oct. 15 at Little Caesars Arena
“It’s a work in progress right now to figure out which one of those guys is going to step up and be the, more than likely, the backup big,” Williams said. “And that’s a tough spot because both guys, I wouldn’t say deserve it, but they have the talent. Bags has a body of work. Wise is still young and learning. They both have enough ability to command that spot. We’re just going to wait and see who steps up and takes it.”
It's one of several positional battles taking place in camp this week. Killian Hayes and Marcus Sasser are competing for minutes at guard — assuming Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Monte Morris and Alec Burks are rotation locks. And there are several NBA-caliber wings on the roster who aren't guaranteed playing time.
The Pistons made a significant investment to acquire Wiseman in February, sending 2020 first-round pick Saddiq Bey to the Atlanta Hawks in a multi-team trade. Wiseman, who was drafted second overall in 2020 by the Golden State Warriors, played extended minutes with Detroit at the end of last season after his first 2½ seasons in San Francisco were marred by injuries and being inexperienced on a championship-caliber team.
With much of the roster shut down after February, Wiseman was put into a featured role and started 22 of his 24 games in Detroit. His 605 minutes logged in two months with the Pistons last season account for more than a third — 35.5% — of the 1,703 total minutes he has logged in his three-year career.
“When he became available, that changed things for me just being able to add this kind of talent, this kind of size,” Weaver said after the February trade deadline. “We think we can unlock him here. We try to create an environment where players can come here and be the best versions of themselves. He’s no different.”
Pistons general manager Troy Weaver had the 22-year-old first overall on his draft board in 2020, and Wiseman's athletic gifts still tantalized three years later. Young seven-footers with Wiseman’s coordination and athletic profile aren’t made available often. Wiseman is approaching restricted free agency next summer, but he’ll now have to fight for his chance to audition himself for a second contract.
NOT A RECORD YOU WANT: Detroit Pistons now have longest active playoff losing streak in four major pro sports
Williams has frequently talked about the importance of defense this week. The Pistons will need to make significant improvements on that end to improve their win-loss record, and Williams wants every player in his rotation to be able to handle their assignments. Wiseman is still finding his way on that end of the floor.
“He’s still learning,” Williams said. “He’s trying to find, we talked about it a couple of weeks ago, maybe not that long, his ability to find a box in a game on a night-in, night-out basis is going to give him more value. He’s athletic, he can finish at the rim, he’s got good touch around the rim, he’s big, he’s long. Sometimes playing away from the basket can get him in trouble sometimes. We’ve been talking about dominating in the paint, being a force in the paint, being a force in the pocket, becoming efficient in the pocket.
“Defensively, he’s gotta learn what we do and learn what we say so he can communicate earlier. I think that’s always tough for bigs, one, knowing what to talk about but then saying it so the guards and the team can hear him.”
The Pistons traded for Bagley in 2022, sending Trey Lyles and Josh Jackson to the Sacramento Kings and multiple second-round picks to the Milwaukee Bucks in a four-team trade. They had a glaring need for an athletic, rim-running big man. Bagley then inked a three-year, $37.5 million contract with no options that summer, securing his future in the NBA through 2025.
Bagley has been a solid contributor when healthy, but the oft-injured big man played just 42 games last season. He’s also been much stronger on offense than on defense. Given that Williams is hammering the importance of defense, the better defender between Wiseman and Bagley could have a leg up.
From an organizational standpoint, Wiseman is the more glaring priority given his pending restricted free agency next summer. At some point, the front office will have to decide to commit to him or part ways. But that may not be reflected in Williams’ rotation, as the Pistons will be less development-focused this season as they look to exit the rebuilding stage. As Williams noted, Bagley is more experienced and a known commodity.
May the best man win.
“You look at our team, you have to look at the defense,” Williams said. “That’s something that, just looking at the numbers on paper, if we’re gonna, which we will, take a jump, the defense has to improve. And it’s not just the defense in the half-court setting. We’ve gotta be better at not fouling. We’ve gotta be better in areas that allow for you to put less stress on your offense. And we’ve shown in segments that we can do it when you watch the film from last year. It’s 'Can you maintain your defensive discipline over the course of the season?' That just comes from a lot of work, and you gotta have some toughness and a lot of will to be a good defensive team in this league.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
Listen to "The Pistons Pulse" with new episodes each Tuesday morning, wherever you listen to podcasts. Catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
For (preseason) openers: Suns
Matchup: Pistons (17-65 in 2022-23) vs. Phoenix (45-37 in 2022-23), exhibition opener.
Tipoff: 3 p.m. Sunday; Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.
TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit, NBATV; WWJ-AM (950).
Regular-season opener: At Miami Heat; 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons' James Wiseman, Marvin Bagley battle for bench minutes
