As the Detroit Pistons do a post-mortem on their second-round playoff exit, they need to take a serious look at every player, including Javonte Green. If the Pistons want to be contenders next season, every roster spot has to go to players who can deliver. That includes bench guys like Green, who might not be the right player for a legit Detroit championship push.
The Detroit Pistons Need To Ask Themselves Some Serious Javonte Green Questions
When the 2025-2026 regular season came to a close, Detroit was riding high. They were the best team in the Eastern Conference, making them the third-best team in the entire league. That also gave them the number one seed on the East side of the playoff bracket. Such lofty status came with the enviable position of taking on the eighth seed in the first round.
That didn’t go to plan. The Pistons absolutely had to go to war against the Orlando Magic to win the series. They fought their way back from a three-to-one deficit to ultimately win the series four games to three. If the Magic’s Franz Wagner hadn’t been injured in game four, the outcome might have been a lot different for Detroit.
The second round went even worse. Again, the number one-seeded Pistons were taking on a lower-seeded team in the Cleveland Cavaliers. It didn’t matter. Despite taking the series to seven games, the Pistons pushed their luck and came up short against the Cavaliers. It was an improvement over their postseason performance in 2025, but not as good as fans were hoping for.
Detroit Needs To Make Changes At All Levels
An early playoff exit like that definitely leads to a lot of questions about all parts of the roster, from the top down. That includes benchers like Kevin Huerter to All-Star starters like Jalen Duren. Green is definitely part of that conversation.
After playing for the Radford Highlanders in college from 2011 to 2015, Green went undrafted and headed to Europe. He would go on to play basketball in Spain, Italy, and Germany from 2015 to 2019. He finally made his way into the NBA via the Boston Celtics and has been on the roster for seven teams, including one G-League franchise, over the past seven seasons.
Green was an absolute iron man for the Pistons this season as the only member of the roster to play in all 82 games. He’s a lockdown defender who has improved his three-point shooting drastically since moving to Detroit. A big part of that is his great shot selection and the fact that he rarely forces bad looks at the bucket.
Green May Not Fit The Bigger Picture
All of that being said, there is drastic room for improvement. His three-point shooting has gotten noticeably better, but it’s still not reliable. Defenses know that and give him a wide berth. He is a great defender in many cases. At the same time, he’s undersized for a wing and does get out-muscled at times. Those same size issues also contribute to his minimal presence as a rebounder.
Starting with his time at Raford, Green is 15 years deep into his basketball career. At the age of 32, it’s hard to see any of those issues improving, and his size isn’t going to change. That’s a big part of why he keeps bouncing from team to team.
Green was only on a one-year deal with the Pistons and is now an unrestricted free agent. Detroit hasn’t made any official announcements about his future with the team, but it would be surprising to see them re-sign him. With the draft coming, followed by free agency, there’s going to be a lot of talented players on the market. Detroit is likely to let guys like Green and Huerter walk and take their chances with someone new.
Featured Image: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
