How much burn will Mitchell get?

[MellowRose]

Will he be the backup for drummond/monroe, or is there somebody in front of him in the lineup? How many minutes do you expect him to play a game?

[dan2314]

no way is he in the rotation to start the season. villanueva or jerebko will be ahead of him competing for what is probably only one spot. saying that, neither of them have proven to be exceptional players, so if mitchell proves he more promising than those two, thats the only chance he would have at a spot in the rotation.

[Cowology]

no way is he in the rotation to start the season. villanueva or jerebko will be ahead of him competing for what is probably only one spot. saying that, neither of them have proven to be exceptional players, so if mitchell proves he more promising than those two, thats the only chance he would have at a spot in the rotation.

It's fairly typical to see fluctuating lineups early in the season when you have new players and a new coach. You might see guys like CV get 5 games in a row while JJ is racking up DNP's, then it flips as the next guy get's a shot. Whether Mitchell even get's that sort of opportunity will greatly depend on what he does in camp and pre-season, but I wouldn't be shocked to see him get 5-10 minutes during some early season stretch.

That said, I expect a lot of DNP's, if for no other reason than we already have some very young guys in the rotation, playing a new system under a new coach and Gores/Dumars clearly want to see the post-season. Not a lot of room for rookie mistakes. But there are always injuries and foul trouble so he'll get some burn at some point during the season.

[HotelVitale]

Mitchell is a super-project at this point. He wasn't good his second year in college against really weak competition, and he doesn't have anything close to a NBA skillset. But he has a great NBA body and great athleticism, and the team is probably hoping that they can remold him and see if real coaching and real training helps make him a real player. I see him as more of a project than almost anyone else taken in this draft, so it's hard to imagine him getting many minutes this year. But Cowology is right that he'll get his chances.

[mercury]

He says he's the next Rodman (a 2nd rounder)... always room in the lineup for Mr. intangible... if the coach is worth his salt he'll let the players prove who gets the minutes.... we're certainly not married to JJ or CV.

[joseph mamah]

unless there's injuries I don't see him getting much PT this year. I think Dre, Moose, Smith and CV are going to get most of the minutes, with Harrelson filling in when Dre gets in foul trouble.

with Dre/Moose/Smith we're going to need at least one big who can shoot in the rotation, and Harrelsons the only other center on the roster. Smith can play spot mins at C but a Smith/Mitchell frontline would be kind of redundant.

[HotelVitale]

He says he's the next Rodman (a 2nd rounder)... always room in the lineup for Mr. intangible... if the coach is worth his salt he'll let the players prove who gets the minutes.... we're certainly not married to JJ or CV.

I like that kid's swag, but he's got lotta work to do. Mitchell put up 14/9 at his weak-sauce college, while Rodman averaged 25/18 at his!

[Warspite]

About 28mpg


For the Mad Ants

[ImHeisenberg]

At least initially, I expect him to play mostly garbage time, if he even makes the active roster. Probably see a few stints on the Mad Ants as well.

[Pharaoh]

don't see him getting much burn at all unless injuries or a trade happens.

With Drummond, Monroe and Smith on board we're far more likely to go with Singler, Datome and CV off the bench than anyone else.

I honestly don't expect Jorts, JJ or Mitchell to play much early in the season

[Billl]

Barring trades, he probably won't see a ton of time.

The only other way I see him getting significant minutes is if both KCP and Datome step up immediately. That would open up some room for a more defensive minded player in the lineup. As is, the second unit is going to need shooters/scorers.

[joeposh]

I think he's too raw to be much of a factor this year. I agree with those saying that barring major trades or injuries, he'll get some garbage time and do a few stints in the D-League. He's got crazy potential, but you could see in Summer League that he's still learning how to harness that and become a consistent contributor.

[kurtis48239]

Like everyone else has stated,mitchell will get the last min or seconds of a blow out.Next year will be when we get to see an improved mitchell more NBA ready,after a full year in the NBA ,couple of pre season and summer practices with the team and coaches.

On a side note I really hope to see jonas get minutes this year,I dont want to give up on him 1 season removed from his injury (this season hasant started yet) when we saw the potential he had his rookie year,I still think he has more in him than last year.

[theBigLip]

Is it better to have him sit the bench in the bigs, or get some PT in the D league? As long as our vets are healthy, I think those are the choices.

[dVs33]

Is it better to have him sit the bench in the bigs, or get some PT in the D league? As long as our vets are healthy, I think those are the choices.

I think they might do both.
He'll learn about the grind of the NBA season by staying with the team, but it also helps to get his minutes up in the d-league.
They did that with Macklin and i could see them doing the same with Mitchell.

[mercury]

Sam Amico... "Hearing coach Mo Cheeks and #Pistons have been impressed with 2nd-rd pick Tony Mitchell, a PF from North Texas. Great shot to stick." #nba

[Blkbrd671]

Mitchell doesn't look at all that big, i think he needs to add some weight and muscle before he can effectively defend PF's in this league. he's also 2 slow to guard SF's. He's going to get a ton of highlight blocks and dunks but not much production.

[hoophabit]

I don't expect Mitchell to get a lot of run early. The Pistons really should be showcasing CV if they're looking to make a deal around the trade deadline. Mitchell is pretty raw. He comes into the league a few tenths of seconds off of Josh Smith's agility and 3/4 court times. He's actually a half inch taller, has a 2.5 inch wider wingspan, and is 15 lbs heavier than Smith at the time of the combine measurements, although they have an identical 8' 10.5" standing reach. He's big and fast enough, although he may not know exactly what he's doing within the system just yet. Mitchell actually has pretty good shooting numbers. I'm willing to see him given a chance to find a role with the team, although as a second round pick the Pistons don't have a lot invested.

[DBC10]

I'm really intrigued with Mitchell, the guy is a freak that can probably challenge Dre on some scenarios. If he develops well, I'll be really happy.

I just want to see some sweet KCP action though. I love him for not being just a one dimensional shooter. The guy has good D motor and athletic/fast enough to drive. He just needs to better harness it, which I have no doubt. I hope they don't just turn him into a spot up shooter or cutting and coming off screens for a pull up. I think he's more than that.

[Laimbeer]

don't see him getting much burn at all unless injuries or a trade happens.

With Drummond, Monroe and Smith on board we're far more likely to go with Singler, Datome and CV off the bench than anyone else.

I honestly don't expect Jorts, JJ or Mitchell to play much early in the season

This. Whenever Drummond or Monroe goes to the bench we're likely to slide Smith to his natural position at the four and bring in a shooter, not another big. I don't see many minutes at all at the four or five that go to anyone other than Drummond, Monroe, or Smith - barring injury.

There are 96 minutes available per game at the two positions, and if Cheeks plays it right you won't see the three of them together on the floor as much as you might think.