On the surface, the Detroit Pistons’ hiring of respected shooting coach Fred Vinson is a grand-slam shot with a bat flip to boot.
Vinson, who agreed to become a Pistons’ assistant coach last week sources confirmed to The Athletic, has long been considered one of the best shot doctors in the NBA. He’s spent 14 years in New Orleans — where the Pistons’ new president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon came from — and has been credited with helping turn below-average 3-point shooters like Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones and Naji Marshall into legitimately good 3-point shooters.
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“Man, Coach Fred, like I said, I owe him everything,” said Ball, who never shot better than 33 percent from 3 prior to arriving in New Orleans and shot over 37 percent from 3 during both of his seasons with the Pelicans. “I get there, I’m working out and he’s rebounding for me. About three or four days go by and he’s like, ‘Yo, we’re about to change (your shot).’ I was like, ‘The season is about to start. What do you mean we’re about to change it?’ He said, ‘I’m going to be here.’ I was like ‘All right, if we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it.'”
The shooting coach’s arrival to the Motor City doesn’t just signal the faith someone like Vinson, who could theoretically probably work anywhere in the NBA, has in Langdon’s vision, but it might also reveal the Pistons’ plans this offseason.
Think about it … a team considering punting on some of its young prospects and replacing them with more-developed players doesn’t go out and hire a shooting coach of this magnitude. The Pistons, who have the most cap space in the NBA, could theoretically go after any shooting free agent available. Veterans shooting 36 percent or better from 3 aren’t tweaking their shots. At the very least, if there were thoughts that Detroit might consolidate multiple of its young players in order to get better quickly, the addition of Vinson points toward that possibly not being the case.
As of now, it’s tough to fully gauge how Langdon plans on approaching team-building in his first offseason in charge, as he’s yet to have a press conference, is focused on building a staff(s) and is preparing for the NBA Draft. However, it feels like there will be another attempt to develop from within. Vinson being around will certainly help Ausar Thompson reach his sky-high potential. The same can be said for Jaden Ivey. Even Cade Cunningham, who proved last year to be a decent 3-point shooter, has another gear he can reach.
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While Vinson’s hiring could somewhat imply Detroit may continue to invest in its youth already on the roster, it also feels like the Pistons could leave the 2024 NBA Draft with a first-round rookie at No. 5 or elsewhere in the lottery. Whomever the Pistons select in the 2024 NBA Draft will likely need intense work on their 3-point shot. The only players who come in as ready-made 3-point shooters and could potentially be selected by Detroit at No. 5 (assuming it stays put) are Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard and Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, but I don’t believe either will be Pistons after draft night because of flaws elsewhere in their games. Someone like the G League Ignite’s Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland or French forward Tidjane Salaun could greatly benefit from Vinson’s presence. Cody Williams’ release could use some speeding up, even though he shot 41 percent from 3 at Colorado.
This doesn’t mean the Pistons will simply punt on free agency. It is possible they do decide to use their cap space to acquire bad contracts and assets, fill in around the margins and run it back with another youth-heavy group. While I do believe that should have been the plan of attack the last few years, it feels too late in the rebuilding process for that to take place now, even though Langdon just arrived. It’s equally as possible, and I believe even more likely now, that Detroit uses its cap space to bring in a few proven players — someone like Malik Monk, Gary Harris and/or Nic Claxton for example — to raise the team’s floor, while allowing young players like Thompson, Ivey, Duren and the rookie to be important pieces in the rotation and develop without being relied upon to produce every single night at the level it takes to be a successful ballclub.
If you were hoping the Pistons would part ways with multiple young players this offseason and replace them with already-made vets, the hiring of Vinson doesn’t lean toward that avenue. If you were wanting Detroit to run it back with one of the youngest starting lineups in the NBA once again, forcing these players to grow on the fly, that, too, doesn’t feel likely because of how much cap space is at the club’s disposal. The likeliest scenario is that Langdon and the Pistons, at least for this first offseason, are going to try and have a better blend of proven NBA veterans and prospects with upside. That always felt like the best outcome if it were able to all come together.
The only danger in this route? Some of the younger players could struggle to develop while in smaller roles. Surely, their value will be lower six months from now. There’s a world where capitalizing on the young players’ value now is the best move for the organization’s long-term health. Conversely, there is a world where the Pistons develop their in-house talent while adding veterans to the fold, and that, without question, would be the best outcome for the franchise.
No one can predict which world will eventually be Detroit’s reality. That is one of several reasons why running a sports team isn’t easy. All we know is that, with the hiring of Vinson, the Pistons appear reluctant to completely abandon building through the draft.
Assuming my theory on why Detroit’s home-run hiring of Vinson is correct, only time will tell if Detroit made the right decision in continuing to invest in the development of multiple players it already has at home.
(Photo of Vinson: Garrett Ellwood / NBAE via Getty Images)