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Orlando’s decision to dump Tobias Harris, now 24, to Detroit for next to nothing in return last February remains one of the biggest head-scratchers of 2016. Harris (16.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 2.6 APG after the trade) is well on his way to becoming a quality stretch forward: he has a little pop to his individual offensive game without hijacking the show, he has the makings of a quality catch-and-shoot option to complement Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond, and he should be able to get by on the boards as the NBA continues to downsize. Yes, Harris is probably destined to be a liability on the defensive end, even as he gets closer to his prime, but that’s not necessarily a death sentence for stretch players with his less-than-overwhelming build. Although he’s about to enter his sixth season, Harris still has some unscratched breakout potential: so much of his career was spent playing for teams going nowhere and for coaches that never established the offensive structure to put him in position for success. So far, Detroit has looked like a much better fit. (Last year: No. 78)

+ Detroit’s offensive efficiency improved from 105.5 to 108.9 upon his arrival (per NBAWowy.com)
+ Harris showed potential to be an excellent spot-up shooter with the Pistons
– Detroit’s defensive efficiency slipped from 104.6 to 108.6 upon his arrival (per NBAWowy.com)
– His tweener status bites him on both ends of pick-and-roll defense scenarios

No matter what he accomplishes, the focus usually centers on the things Reggie Jackson doesn’t do rather than the things he does. Unfortunately for Jackson (18.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG), there’s a lot of things he doesn’t do all that well: he’s not a big-time finisher, he’s not an all-around playmaking maestro, he’s not a true end-to-end threat in transition, he’s not a knockdown three-point shooter, he’s not the world’s greatest defender, his decision-making can be spotty, and he’s on an $80 million contract, which tends to make all of those problems feel even worse than they are. On top of that, Jackson is 26 and had free rein last year, so it’s hard to project significant further improvement across so many areas. In his defense, though, Jackson is a quality and comfortable pick-and-roll practitioner whose arrival in Detroit was critical to the team’s offensive improvement. While there might be reasonable doubts about his ceiling as a player and a team’s ceiling with him as the head of the snake, Jackson nevertheless oversaw a 44-win team that made the playoffs after a six-year drought. That should count for something, especially if he proves he can deliver that type of result on a consistent basis for the duration of his deal. (Last year: No. 94)

+ Ranked in the top-five league wide in drives and points off drives, per NBA.com
+ Led Detroit to its best record since 2008 and most efficient offense since 2011
– He’s not particularly imposing, or pesky, or productive defensively
– Although his team was swept by the Cavs in the 2016 playoffs, he complained endlessly about the refs

It didn’t take long for Andre Drummond to validate Detroit’s decision to roll with him as the franchise center and move on from Greg Monroe. In his first year playing in a spread offensive system, the 23-year-old Drummond (16.2 PPG, 14.8 RPG, 1.4 BPG) put his elite size and strength to full use, posting career-highs in scoring and rebounding while helping Detroit post its best offensive efficiency ranking since 2008. Although he’s still an unpolished, inconsistent scoring option on the block and a major liability when hacked, Drummond compensates for those weaknesses by wearing down his opponents, pounding the offensive glass and finishing with authority when he gets a clean window in pick-and-roll situations. He hasn’t yet reached “Young Dwight Howard” levels when it comes to offensive impact (and he probably won’t ever get there), but Drummond has made steady progress since he entered the NBA as a teenager. This season marked Drummond’s third straight playing 80+ games, and that reliability, coupled with good health from his fellow starters, played a big role in Detroit’s defensive improvement. After years of below-average and disorganized defenses, the Pistons have been much better under Stan Van Gundy, with Drummond deserving credit for holding down the boards and covering up for some fairly weak-defending power forwards alongside of him. By the time Detroit got around to inking Drummond to a $130 million rookie contract extension this summer, the deal was hardly news. There just wasn’t anything to debate or discuss: He earned it. (Last year: No. 35)

+ A first-time All-Star and All-NBA selection last year, he led the NBA in rebounds, ranked in the top 30 in PER, Win Shares, and Real Plus Minus, and tallied a league-best 66 double-doubles (12 more than anyone else)
+ The best age-22 comparison point for his 2015-16 production (16.2/14.8/1.4, 7.4 Win Shares) is Hall of Famer Moses Malone (19.4/15/1.3, 6.1 WS)
– His ghastly 35.5% free-throw shooting last season was the lowest mark all-time among players with at least 500 attempts
– Although he’s one of the NBA’s most prolific dunkers, he has significant room to improve as a finisher around the basket, ranking in the 27% percentile in post-up scoring per Synergy Sports