NBA Season Preview 2018-19: Every team’s biggest question
By Ben Ladner
Detroit Pistons: Who will start on the wing?
The Pistons tied themselves fully to their core by trading for Blake Griffin last summer. They are in win-now mode, even if their ceiling promises little more than a first-round exit. Though solid in the frontcourt, Detroit lacks dependability in the rest of its roster. Outside of Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, Reggie Bullock and Reggie Jackson may be the closest things to reliable starters. Stanley Johnson fits the ideal of how a modern combo forward should look, but his game hasn’t translated consistently.
The Pistons have room to grow, especially on the wing, where Johnson, Bullock, Luke Kennard, Bruce Brown and Glenn Robinson are all 24 years old or younger and serviceable options to place in the starting lineup. Bullock, who started 52 games and shot 44.5 percent from downtown last year, will likely start again this season. Though not a stalwart defender, he can be used on perimeter players of varying sizes. Unless Johnson puts things together and earns Dwane Casey’s trust, Kennard may become the fifth starter by default. A dangerous shooter with savvy playmaking instincts, Kennard was arguably the second-most reliable wing on Detroit’s roster as a rookie.
The odds that someone among that group becomes an above-average role player are good. But the chances of any developing into a star seem bleaker. Brown and Kennard in particular are still early on in their development as NBA players, yet Detroit will need substantive minutes from them this season. Robinson, a year removed from ankle surgery, could bounce back or fizzle out, much like the Pistons themselves.