As John Calipari and the Razorbacks prepare for one of the most exciting seasons in Arkansas basketball history, one former Razorback star is getting ready for a major career change.
NBA guard Isaiah Joe -- a major piece of Arkansas' 2018-19 team and Eric Musselman's first Razorback squad in 2019-20 -- is preparing for his first season as a member of the Detroit Pistons, and it could mark the beginning of a new era for the deadly three-point shooter.
Isaiah Joe and the Detroit Pistons were a perfect match
Isaiah Joe left Arkansas after a COVID-shortened season in 2020, landing with the Philadelphia 76ers after being selected with the 49th overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. There, the young guard had a quiet start (3.6 PPG across his first two seasons) before reuniting with high school teammate and fellow Razorback alumnus Jaylin Williams in Oklahoma City, where both would go on to become key role players for the Thunder's 2025 NBA championship squad.
In four years with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Isaiah Joe averaged 9.7 points per game on 41.5% three-point shooting, including an incredible 42.3% last season -- good for 10th in the NBA among players with at least 200 three-point attempts. However, after their exit in the Western Conference Finals at the hands of Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, the Thunder have made several changes to their roster, one of which involved shipping Isaiah Joe to Detroit in exchange for two second-round picks.
Now, Joe heads to a new title contender: the Detroit Pistons. Fresh off a breakout season that saw them earn the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons clearly wanted to shore up their perimeter shooting, and they found the perfect guard to do so.
Just in: The Oklahoma City Thunder are trading sharpshooter Isaiah Joe to the Detroit Pistons for two future second-round picks, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/rHf0VHp7k0
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 26, 2026
Last season, Isaiah Joe averaged a career-high 11.1 points per game while shooting better from three-point range than he had at any point in his NBA career. The talented guard has finally started to realize the potential that he showcased in his breakout freshman season at Arkansas, so it will be exciting to see how he complements NBA star point guard Cade Cunningham.
Joe made 181 three-pointers last season despite playing for one of the deepest teams in the NBA. In Detroit, where Cunningham's ability to attack the basket should create plenty of open looks on the perimeter, the former Razorback has a chance to become far more than a complementary shooter.
While Joe will be competing for backcourt minutes with fellow NBA sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, it's totally feasible that Isaiah Joe wins the starting job from the 32-year-old Robinson at some point in the near future. At the very least, Detroit did not give up two second-round picks to keep Joe glued to the bench.
Should this be the case, Joe could quickly find himself returning to the NBA Finals -- and this time, as a member of the starting lineup. After spending four years contributing to Oklahoma City's championship window, he finally has an opportunity to prove that he can be a central piece of one himself.
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