Remember last season’s Detroit Pistons? The squad finished the season with a 14-68 record, which was in fact the worst record in the franchise’s history. At this point, the front office can only look to improve in their rebuilding phase. But how can they capitalize on their draft picks? Well, the Pistons barely managed to bag a top-five pick in this year’s draft. Regardless, the front office has been scouting talent from the G-League, as they recently signed Javante McCoy.

Now, who is Javante McCoy? McCoy is a 6-foot-5 guard who played for the Boston University for 5 years. As a freshman, McCoy wasn’t the brightest player on the team. But the Milwaukee native worked his way put to the starting lineup. Four years later, during his second year as a senior, Javante was a highly efficient player. He averaged 17.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. Now, with these numbers, McCoy was all set to mark his name on the NBA draft board. But did he? Unfortunately, Javante went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft.

Unlike others, he did not give up. McCoy tried his hand in the G-League. And to everyone’s surprise, he was absolutely dominating while coming off the bench. Playing for the South Bay Lakers, he was averaging double digits, maintaining a pure consistency. But he did not stop there. Javante went on to play for the Austin Spurs the following year where he would see his numbers fall significantly. Regardless, the Pistons acquired the guard about a month ago on an Exhibit 10 contract that guarantees him $77.5K. However, that will only be the case if he spends about two months with Motor City, according to the rules.

But what is an Exhibit 10 contract? In simple terms, this contract is only valid for one year. This is definitely not a high-paying contract as the player receives a non-guaranteed minimum salary. Moreover, the team can decide to either sign this player to a two-way before the start of the regular season or even waive the player.

Interestingly, the $75K bonus becomes a salary guarantee if the player lands a Two-Way contract. On the other hand, if the team decides to waive the player before the start of the regular season, they can designate an affiliate player to retain the player’s G-League rights. And rightfully so! In this way, the player is still part of the G-League team and is also eligible for the bonus.

With the Pistons, McCoy will look to shine with the Cruise. But why is that so? For starters, he definitely has the potential to make noise in the G-League one day. And the fact that he’s never started since his college days says a lot about the opportunities he’s missed in the past. But that also depends on what Detroit’s expectations are from this youngster.

Javante McCoy can help the Pistons as a backup scorer

With the disastrous few years for the Detroit Pistons, J.B. Bickerstaff could use some efficient scorers in his rotation. And that’s where Javante McCoy comes in. McCoy shot over 52% from the field in 25 minutes of action while playing for the SBL. The guard is extremely talented when it comes to maintaining his consistency throughout the season. Moreover, the Cruise can use him more by putting him in the starting lineup.

Moreover, the Pistons will appreciate some help shooting the three-ball. And guess what? McCoy even excels at shooting from a distance. If anything, his college stats are enough of a resume to consider him a shooting threat. He can definitely earn a spot on the Pistons, but first, he’ll need some actual playing time in the G-League. Somewhere between a starter or a sixth-man role would do for the young gun. It will be a sight to see McCoy play with players like Cade Cunningham, Hardaway Jr., and Tobias Harris one day.

As the pre-season looms around the corner, do you think the Motor City would consider giving the 26-year-old a legitimate shot to prove himself? Let us know in the comments.

Feel that you can do with another update from the sport of basketball? Then do check out this recent interview with the up-and-coming Georgia Lady Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.