Detroit Pistons: Who should be part of the long-term core?

3. Bruce Brown Jr.

Bruce Brown Jr. has spent the majority of the year as an off-ball player, and if he’s able to develop his 3-point shot, he can do that later in his career. However, that’s not the role that he does best right now. On the offensive end, he needs to work more on the ball, and he needs to work on his slashing game to get to the basket. On the defensive end, he can be this team’s version of Patrick Beverley. Detroit fans will fall in love with his defensive intensity.

Brown will be 23 when next season starts, and it’s looking likely that they will give him every opportunity to lock down the starting spot opposite Reggie Jackson, or he could take Jackson’s spot altogether. Jackson has experienced a resurgence since the All-Star break, but he hasn’t shown that level of consistency since he got to Detroit. Brown hasn’t been spectacular, but he’s going to get better with more experience at the pro level.

Every great team has to have good guard play. The best player can be on the wings or in the frontcourt, but you need good guards. Brown can be that linchpin for the future. He doesn’t have to light up the scoreboard with points, but he absolutely needs to be a part of their core moving forward. If the Pistons let him go to waste, they will have failed in a big way.