Pistons projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season

Detroit Pistons starting center: Jalen Duren

There will be other options discussed here, but there’s no way Detroit can keep Jalen Duren with the second unit after last season. Duren made an immediate and pronounced impact on the Pistons despite being the literal youngest player in the NBA. He was comically proficient on the glass (8.9 rebounds in 24.9 minutes) and highly efficient at the rim (9.1 points on 64.8 percent shooting).

The Pistons have the strength advantage in almost every matchup now. Between Duren and Stewart, few teams are packing as much muscle in the frontcourt (and that’s without taking into account Bagley, James Wiseman, and Detroit’s burlier perimeter players). Duren manhandles most players on the boards. Defensively, he’s a towering rim protector blessed with a 7-foot-5 wingspan. On offense, he’s mostly unstoppable once he catches it near the basket.

Duren doesn’t offer a ton of offensive flexibility outside the paint, but Detroit experimented with face-ups and new looks in Summer League. How much of it translates to actual NBA action is yet to be seen, but Duren can exert a massive influence on winning without creating his own shot or splashing 3s. He’s going to catch a ton of lobs from Cunningham and the defense will only get better as he learns more about the NBA game. He’s still 19 years old on the verge of his second NBA season. Duren is young.

The upside here is off the charts. There simply aren’t many players as young as Duren who make such an immediate impact. Few players in the history of the game have been as physically developed as Duren at 18 years old. The Pistons should continue to tap into that wellspring of potential next season.

Primary backup center: James Wiseman

Another former No. 2 pick turned Pistons reclamation project, James Wiseman arrived in Detroit last season and was immediately elevated from the G-League to a starting gig. He delivered statistically: 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds in 25.2 minutes. Detroit will continue to give him ample run in 2023-24, but presumably, he takes a backseat to the (clearly superior) Duren.

The Warriors made Wiseman the centerpiece of their failed “two timelines” approach because of his monstrous athletic ability at 7-foot-1 and 240 pounds. Wiseman explodes vertically for sky-scraping dunks and his sheer length provides a deterrent at the rim. That said, Wiseman is a remarkably inefficient finisher for a player with his size, strength, and mobility. He also struggles to defend in space. Frequently, he’s out of position entirely on defense.

That’s not to say Wiseman can’t develop into a reliable two-way force, but he has long been more theoretical than actual. The Pistons will hope that changes, but right now Duren is much further along and three years younger.

Other players who could receive minutes at center: Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Stewart