Why are Frank Jackson and Kelly Olynyk playing?

With the season wrapping up, the Detroit Pistons have no need to go all-out to win games, so why are veterans like Frank Jackson, Cory Joseph, Kelly Olynyk and Rodney McGruder still playing?

The Pistons are winning games because the other team is either taking them way too lightly (76ers) or simply tanking with lousier players (Pacers, Thunder). There really is not much coach Dwane Casey can do about it without, like, putting only four players on the floor.

When Saddiq Bey had 31 points in 24 minutes against Indiana, Casey benched him. In a tight contest with the Pacers, in the fourth period, point guard Killian Hayes was pulled in favor of Carsen Edwards, who Casey said had come off a plane from his G-League team two hours before game time.

Edwards responded with 13 points and nine assists as he led the Pistons to victory. Casey started Isaiah Livers, who literally had not played in a basketball game for a year due to injury, until February. He also did well, with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

It is a compliment to Detroit general manager Troy Weaver and the Pistons personnel department that their end-of-the-bench players are good enough to win NBA games (albeit against diluted opposition). However, winning really does not do much for Detroit’s future.

Despite the three-game winning streak, the Pistons are still clinging to the third-worst record in the NBA at 23-56, according to Tankathon. The bottom three teams are guaranteed to have the best odds (14%) of getting the No. 1 pick and (52.1%) being in the top four of the draft.

WIth tough games against Milwaukee, Dallas and Philadelphia looming, it will be a challenge for the young, inexperienced team Detroit has rolled out recently, to win any of them.

However, the Pistons have not just been playing G-League guys stepping off the plane, or mid-second round rookies coming off serious injuries.

Against the Pacers, guard Rodney McGruder and forward Kelly Olynyk both saw action. They are veterans who do need development, they are what they are. Guard Cory Joseph started against the 76ers, and seems to have a real injury that has kept him out of the past couple of games.

Frank Jackson also was a starter, and scored 19 points to help Detroit win. Jackson is kind of in-between a vet and a young player needing experience. He has been in the NBA for a few years but is still just 23-years-old. But his role with Detroit is already well-defined, he has nothing to prove.

Jackson had missed a bunch of games with a back problem, and said after the game he always was going to play if cleared.

If the Pistons were in a hard tank, Jackson, Olynyk, McGruder and Joseph would never get off the bench.

So why are all these veterans playing for the Detroit Pistons?

The best answer is: Phoenix Suns.

The Suns went 8-0 in the bubble in 2020, picked up Chris Paul in the off-season, and went to the NBA finals. Coach Dwane Casey said the Suns are the model they are working off of:

The one lesson about tanking is, the players on the floor are not interested in it. They have jobs to protect, they want to look good so an NBA team will want them the following season. If you play a Braxton Key or a Carsen Edwards, you might say you are tanking, but those players are going to bust their tails to play well.

Also, unlike last season, Detroit does not want to end the year on a sour note. The Pistons are starting to form a real nucleus. Having them sit on the bench while the guys playing are getting slapped around, is not a way to build a winning culture.

Olynyk, McGruder, Jackson and (if healthy), Joseph do receive playing time, but rarely are they in  for the final five minutes. Casey has been putting in the kids and seeing if they sink or swim under the pressure. So far, they have been swimming.

Due to injuries or simply not getting much playing time beforehand, Olynyk, Jackson and McGruder have not played for good chunks of the season. They want to be in the game and get some reps, and, to his credit, Casey is letting them.

Joseph is a steady hand who can help the young guards. There is playing, and then there is learning, Joseph helps them learn.

Battling for Rookie of the Year, if would be surprising if Cade Cunningham misses any more action, barring injury. Detroit is playing big-name teams where he could get some national recognition if he does well.

So why are these veterans playing when the Pistons have no real incentive to win? Because they want to. In a developing culture Detroit is trying to foster, that seems to be a good enough reason.