Luke Kennard: Starter or Off the Bench

[Uncle Mxy]

Kennard is more ready to start after one season than SJ is after three.

[mercury]

I think Reggie Jackson, Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond are the only locks as starters. The rest should be up for grabs.

Yeah, I'm in this camp also... it's not the time to be handing anyone starter roles... roll it out and see who wins the battles... if Thomas can shoot and defend then he should also be considered in the mix.

[ElectricMayhem]

Luke isn't a Piston-type player and has a ceiling to be another Kyle Singler or Austin Daye. He's just another SVG bust!

By the way, when did you get so down on Austin Daye anyhow? You were high on him even post-Pistons.

Austin Daye got traded to the spurs lol

Really? That's a good pick-up for the Spurs if that's true.

[Kilo]

Bring him off the bench. Casey did wholesale changes in Toronto IIRC, and we could see that here. Casey made a pitch to GRIII at 12:01 when free agency opened and sold him on the idea of a floor spacer 3&D guy alongside Griffin and Drummond. I think the idea might be he starts here, and I think with Reggie healthy, you put Bullock beside him as another shooter and good defender.

Second unit has Galloway at the point as he's a shooter for Kennard and Stanley to play off of. Langston, Luke and Stanley are all good secondary ball handlers so they can share facilitator dutues - though mostly the ball will be in Luke or Stanley's hands with Leuer and Galloway spreading the floor with their 3 point abilities standing out behind the line. Zaza could provide the screens for the Kennard and Johnson cuts or we trade for a new big Pf/Ce type who could play here.

I think maybe Calderon and Zaza were brought in as starter replacements BUT won't be second unit guys. Calderon will start and play with first unit if Reggie goes down and Zaza would do the same should Dre miss games.

Jackson
Bullock
Robinson III
Griffin
Drummond

Galloway
Kennard
Johnson
Leuer/Ellenson
Zaza or Bigman Ish Smith traded for*

I still hope Atlanta trades Schroder for a young big, and then we swap them Ish for Dedmon.

[Snakebites]

Luke isn't a Piston-type player and has a ceiling to be another Kyle Singler or Austin Daye. He's just another SVG bust!

By the way, when did you get so down on Austin Daye anyhow? You were high on him even post-Pistons.

Austin Daye got traded to the spurs lol

Really? That's a good pick-up for the Spurs if that's true.

What does “Piston type player” even mean?

Pistons exceptionalism became dated years ago, and not just because the team has been awful. That style of play is no longer viable.

[DCintheD]

Luke isn't a Piston-type player and has a ceiling to be another Kyle Singler or Austin Daye. He's just another SVG bust!

By the way, when did you get so down on Austin Daye anyhow? You were high on him even post-Pistons.

Really? That's a good pick-up for the Spurs if that's true.

What does “Piston type player” even mean?

Pistons exceptionalism became dated years ago, and not just because the team has been awful. That style of play is no longer viable.

the closest "piston-type player" in today's NBA is Donovan Mitchell.

[vic]

By the way, when did you get so down on Austin Daye anyhow? You were high on him even post-Pistons.

What does “Piston type player” even mean?

Pistons exceptionalism became dated years ago, and not just because the team has been awful. That style of play is no longer viable.

the closest "piston-type player" in today's NBA is Donovan Mitchell.

All Pistons DNA 2018:
1- Donovan Mitchell (svg draft fail)
2- KCP (svg fail)
3- Stanley Johnson (minus SVG, plus confidence)
4- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Good Pistons teams always have a stretch big that can also defend).
5- Andre Drummond (good Pistons teams always have the best athlete/rebounder in the league.)

[hoophabit]

According to Rod Beard in the Detroit News, Kennard appears to have grown about an inch? I don't know if it's true or not, but it does surprise me as he wasn't a "one and done."
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2018/07/10/detroit-pistons-roster-breakdown-how-newcomers-mix-stars/767837002/

[The_Irony]

By the way, when did you get so down on Austin Daye anyhow? You were high on him even post-Pistons.

What does “Piston type player” even mean?

Pistons exceptionalism became dated years ago, and not just because the team has been awful. That style of play is no longer viable.

the closest "piston-type player" in today's NBA is Donovan Mitchell.

Mitchell is the literal example of Piston DNA.

[MotownMadness]

According to Rod Beard in the Detroit News, Kennard appears to have grown about an inch? I don't know if it's true or not, but it does surprise me as he wasn't a "one and done."
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2018/07/10/detroit-pistons-roster-breakdown-how-newcomers-mix-stars/767837002/

Awesome if true, he has a short wingspan so any height can’t hurt defensively. That would put him at a healthy what 6’7?

[Neptune]

Luke isn't a Piston-type player and has a ceiling to be another Kyle Singler or Austin Daye. He's just another SVG bust!

By the way, when did you get so down on Austin Daye anyhow? You were high on him even post-Pistons.

Austin Daye got traded to the spurs lol

Really? That's a good pick-up for the Spurs if that's true.

I was fooled bro! He had the potential to be great, he was 6"11, can shoot from deep, he could play multiple positions. He just couldn't put it together.

[Neptune]

What does “Piston type player” even mean?

Pistons exceptionalism became dated years ago, and not just because the team has been awful. That style of play is no longer viable.

the closest "piston-type player" in today's NBA is Donovan Mitchell.

All Pistons DNA 2018:
1- Donovan Mitchell (svg draft fail)
2- KCP (svg fail)
3- Stanley Johnson (minus SVG, plus confidence)
4- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Good Pistons teams always have a stretch big that can also defend).
5- Andre Drummond (good Pistons teams always have the best athlete/rebounder in the league.)

Agreed Vic, all those players have Piston DNA!

You forgot Brandon Knight. We traded him too early! Instead of giving up on him we should have let him play the 2. I believe Griffin has some, unfortunately he has a history of being injury prone.

If I'm throwing a random player out there, Westbrook has Piston DNA in him. But what's the likelihood of us getting him?

[7r5ur]

What does “Piston type player” even mean?

Pistons exceptionalism became dated years ago, and not just because the team has been awful. That style of play is no longer viable.

the closest "piston-type player" in today's NBA is Donovan Mitchell.

Mitchell is the literal example of Piston DNA.

So is Stanley Johnson, but he kinda sucks, so just picking people based on that doesn't guarantee anything.

We blew it with Mitchell, but that has nothing to do with whether or not Kennard can help us.