At this point in the offseason, the Detroit Pistons The Red Sox appear to have the roster they plan to keep at the start of the regular season. However, there is still a key role to play.

The Pistons already have their point guard of the future in Cade Cunningham. However, they have struggled to find a consistent replacement for him. Several players filled that role last season, with Marcus Sasser finishing the year as Monty Williams’ backup point guard on the second unit.

In a recent letter, James Edwards of The Athletic Asked about the Pistons’ backup situation, he cited Sasser and Jaden Ivey as potential players to play behind Cunningham. That said, he also ruled out one player on the open market. That’s former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz.

Could Detroit go for a more experienced point guard to play behind or alongside Cunningham? It’s possible. Markelle Fultz is still available and the franchise has the funds to add him. However, if the Pistons were to do so, it would seem like it would come at the expense of Ivey and/or Sasser, and I’m not sure Detroit is willing to create a traffic jam between the two point guard positions for two of its recent first-round picks at this point in its rebuild — not yet, at least.

Fultz has had an up-and-down NBA career since being drafted first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2017. He’s managed to develop into a productive two-way point guard, but has struggled to stay on the court in recent years. Over the last four seasons, he’s only played in 129 games total.

Alternating between the starting five and the second unit, Fultz averaged 7.8 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists per game and 1.0 points per game for the Orlando Magic. Having turned 26 earlier this year, he is poised to enter his prime years. Despite that, he may not be the best choice for a number of reasons.

For starters, Fultz isn’t a three-point threat. He’s shot under 30 percent from three for most of his career and rarely makes any attempts. Given that the Pistons already have floor spacing issues, adding another non-shooter would complicate things.

Between its offensive limitations and fear of creating a traffic jam, Detroit should look to handle the backup point guard position internally before turning to outside options. Sasser showed some nice performances late last season, and Ivey has the potential to be the primary point guard. That duo should be more than capable of handling minutes when Cunningham is off the court.

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