Detroit Pistons: How To Improve At Small Forward
Detroit Pistons fans should consider the Ersan Ilyasova trade a huge success, as Ilyasova is a stretch 4 who fits Stan Van Gundy’s system extremely well. However, the trade weakened the Pistons’ small forward position as they gave up their starting small forward, Caron Butler, to the Milwaukee Bucks in the trade.
This leaves Tayshaun Prince and Quincy Miller as the team’s remaining small forwards. Prince is 35 years old and is now best used as reserve player. Quincy Miller was a D-League call-up and has never gotten consistent minutes in the NBA. The Pistons have several opportunities to strengthen this position via the draft or free agency. Some of their options are discussed below.
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The Pistons have the No. 8 pick in the NBA draft and Stanley Johnson would be ideal pick in that spot for Van Gundy and the Pistons. Johnson showed immense potential and developing skills on both sides of the ball during his one season at Arizona. Johnson is an extremely versatile offensive player. He hit the 3-pointer at a very respectable 35 percent clip.
His shooting ability would be a welcomed addition to the Pistons, who require floor spacers for their offense to succeed. However, Johnson has shown that he is more than just a 3-point shooter on offense, as he got to the rim and drew fouls with frequency at the collegiate level as well. But where Johnson will add tremendous value to the Pistons would be on defense.
Despite being only 6-foot-6, Johnson can defend four positions due to his 6-foor-11 wing span and athleticism. Johnson has drawn comparisons to former Defensive Player of the Year Metta World Peace because of his lock-down ability. Johnson tends to rely on his natural athleticism on defense but, with the right motivation, could develop into one of the best defensive small forwards in the NBA.
DeMarre Carroll is coming off a breakout season with the Atlanta Hawks and is looking to translate his improved production into a pay raise. Last season with the Hawks, Carroll averaged a career-high 12.6 points along with 5.3 rebounds. Like Johnson, Carroll can hit 3-pointers with consistency, as he shot nearly 40 percent from the great beyond last season.
Carroll is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. Carroll’s defensive value goes far beyond his numbers of 1.3 steals per game and 0.2 blocks per game.
When Zach Harper of CBS Sports asked Al Horford about Carroll’s value to the Hawks, Horford replied, “I feel like he always gets the tougher challenges and he just sticks with it and goes for it and doesn’t care if he’s guarding a point guard or a center. He’s just going to go out there and play hard and work hard.”
Carroll plays with a chip on his shoulder and never gives up on a play. Carroll’s hardworking and team first approach would definitely be a positive influence in the Pistons’ locker room.
Aminu haf a player option worth $1.1 million for next season, which he declined after a breakout postseason with the Dallas Mavericks. Aminu was one of the only bright spots for the Mavs in the playoffs. During the Mavs disappointing five-game postseason run, Aminu averaged 11.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and two steals.
With the Mavericks unable to provide a large role for Aminu due to having Chandler Parsons locked into a contract, Aminu may look elsewhere and the Pistons should welcome him with open arms.
Aminu’s offensive game is a work in progress. He has never averaged more than eight points per game and is a shaky 3-point shooter at best. But his defensive game is a different story. Despite only playing around 19 minutes per game last season with the Mavs, Aminu managed to average around a steal and a block per game.
His freakishly long 7-foot-3 wingspan allows him to gamble for steals and quickly recover. Aminu is also among the best rim-protecting small forwards in the NBA. Last season with the Mavericks, Aminu averaged 1.6 blocks per 36 minutes. His block percentage was higher than 7-foot shot blocking center Tyson Chandler.
Aminu is a game-changer defensively; he was second on the Mavs last year in defensive plus-minus. Aminu and Andre Drummond would form a scary defensive duo for the rest of the NBA, should the Pistons manage to acquire him.
All stats courtesy of http://www.basketball-reference.com
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