NBA Trade Talk: Isaiah Joe Gives Detroit Pistons A Pair Of 3-Point Specialists

· Yahoo Sports

During the postseason, the Detroit Pistons fell a bit short of their expectations after winning 60 games in the regular season and earning the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and a portion of that playoff failure can be traced back to the team’s inability to consistently knock down perimeter jumpers. 

Though the Pistons had Duncan Robinson operating at an above 40% rate from three-point range in the regular season, Detroit lacked a second player who could offer a similar threat from distance. But just a couple days ago, the Pistons made a huge stride to close that shooting gap by acquiring Isaiah Joe from the Oklahoma City Thunder for future draft picks. 

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Over the past four years in OKC, Joe has established himself as a relatively lethal sniper from beyond the arc by reaching the 40% three-point threshold in each of those four seasons. Although Joe was limited at times since the Thunder are so deep, he still contributed mightily to the squad’s recent championship, and he’s still young enough at 26 to have many impactful years still ahead of him with the Pistons. 

Robinson, on the other hand, took little time to adjust to life in the Motor City, and he ended up starting every game that he was available for during the 2025-26 regular season campaign. But the further you dive into the numbers, the more it becomes clear that Robinson and Joe are very, very similar when it comes to filling the basket from downtown. 

Over the last three seasons, Joe has only played in four more games than Robinson (223 to 219), and the rest of the stats are even more striking. On catch-and-shoot three-pointers in that timespan, both players connected on their shots at a 43% rate. Off the dribble, they’re both shooting above 35%, but the largest disparity comes in terms of opportunities from the corner. Though Robinson was reliable in that role 40.8% of the time, Joe posted a 50.4% on attempts that he took from either corner. Both players have a nearly identical output from spot-up shots (46% to 47%), and they’re in lockstep off dribble hand-offs as well (both at 36%). 

In terms of points per shot off movement catch-and-shoot looks, Robinson and Joe together acquitted themselves in the 75th percentile based on league-wide numbers, so it is clear that the random have been operating at a high level in that respect. 

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Since the Pistons struggled with floor spacing because Robinson— and Cade Cunningham— were the only two players possessing significant perimeter gravity, which meant the paint was constantly obstructed for Detroit during rounds one and two of the postseason. But if head coach J.B. Bickerstaff opts to use Joe at the two and Robinson at the three simultaneously next season, then the Pistons will ostensibly be able to compete with other top teams in the three-point realm. 

Detroit only ranked 17th in the NBA last regular season for three-point percentage, so the long shot was an issue for the Pistons all year long. By acquiring one of the league’s more dangerous shooters from that range, Detroit made a massive stride this offseason to quell an issue they’ve long battled. There are rumors that the Pistons could waive Robinson during the offseason, but there is not much to substantiate those claims just yet, and it would seem logical that Detroit would lean towards keeping both players on the roster so that they don’t revert back to square one as a squad with a singular three-point threat. 

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