Detroit Pistons Add Bench Depth In Trade With Rockets
The Detroit Pistons have made their second trade in three days, acquiring forward Donatas Motiejunas and guard Marcus Thornton from the Houston Rockets.
The Detroit Pistons have struck gold for a second time this week by acquiring forward Donatas Motiejunas and guard Marcus Thornton from the Houston Rockets in exchange for Joel Anthony and a protected 2016 first-round pick, according to The Vertical‘s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The deal comes two days after head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy dealt Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova to the Orlando Magic for forward Tobias Harris. Here is a better look at all the moving pieces this week.
Detroit Adds: Tobias Harris, Donatas Motiejunas, Marcus Thornton
Detroit Loses: Brandon Jennings, Ersan Ilyasova, Joel Anthony, 2016 first-round pick (top-eight protected)
Initially, Thursday’s deal looks to be a low-risk, high-reward deal to immediately improve the bench. Motiejunas, 25, is still early in his development and has been a crucial part of the Rockets in his four-year career. Last season he began to have back problems that caused him to cut his season short, according to ESPN‘s Calvin Watkins.
Related Story: 2016 NBA Trade Deadline Live Tracker
Motiejunas has had lingering issues with his back and the former starter has only played 14 games this season with the Rockets.
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Motiejunas’ health is going to be the key to this deal, and it is why this trade is a low-risk, high-reward deal. The Pistons know what they will get out of Thornton (more on that later), but Motiejunas is the wild card. A month ago Zach Lowe said on The Lowe Post podcast that the Pistons were going to pursue Motiejunas in free agency, but now that gets a lot easier.
It all depends on how he performs with the Pistons.
Motijeunas is a player that can stretch the floor and fits Van Gundy’s offense perfectly. His increased confidence in his three-point shot is a big reason why he will fit offensively. Motiejunas is shooting 41.2 percent from three-point range this season, after shooting 36.8 percent from three-point range last season.
Both are increases over his second year (2013-14) when he shot 25.0 percent from range.
It is unclear how the Pistons will use Motiejunas initially. With the departure of Ilyasova, Anthony Tolliver will likely step in as the starting power forward. That will take the pressure off of Motiejunas until he can fully recover from his injury. After a MRI in early January the Houston Chronicle‘s Jonathan Feigen reported that Motiejunas wouldn’t return until he is pain free.
Once he returns, Motiejunas will be a huge lift off the bench in terms of scoring. The Pistons are tied for worst in the NBA when it comes to bench scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game. Standing 7-feet tall, Motiejunas creates a mismatch at power forward due to his athleticism and will be impactful on both ends of the court.
This gives Van Gundy another athlete that can guard multiple positions defensively.
Thornton, 28, is the ultimate journeyman. The Pistons will be his seventh team and he is in his seventh NBA season. He will be able to come in with a similar role to that of the Rockets, where he is averaging 18.8 minutes per game in 47 games this season.
In his role, Thornton is scoring 10.0 points per game. He’s a guard that can attack the basket and shoot from range. He is shooting 40.0 percent from the floor and 33.8 percent from three-point range. He is another scorer added to the league’s worst bench in terms of offense.
Thornton isn’t a player that turns the ball over a lot, which is surprising since he has a usage rate of 24.5. With his high usage rate a double digit turnover rate is to be expected, but not with Thornton who has an 8.0 turnover rate this season.
Thornton is going to be a big addition and will likely get 15-to-20 minutes for the Pistons on any given night. With the news of Jodie Meeks‘ broken right foot not progressing as planned, according to the Detroit News, the Pistons needed to add a shooting guard.
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Ultimately, Thornton and Motiejunas are going to be a great fit in Van Gundy’s system. Thronton will also bring leadership to a rather young Pistons team. He’s played in 10 playoff games and has been around a lot of the league’s great talent.
The Pistons’ two trades this week aren’t gambles, but will need to see the playoffs as the end result. Pistons fans are thirsting for a playoff berth after watching their team miss the playoffs for seven straight years. But there are bigger implications on the line if the Pistons miss the playoffs.
Remember the 2016 first round pick they’re giving up? It’s only protected if it falls within the top eight draft slots. In what is expected to be a strong draft class, the Pistons can’t afford to give up their pick with a soft protection on it.
With the two trades this week the Pistons are positioned to make a strong playoff push, and it started with acquiring Harris on Tuesday. Harris, who will begin his Pistons career coming off the bench, is going to be the go-to scorer off of the Pistons bench.
It tells me that SVG is all-in on making the playoffs and doing damage this year. #Pistons
— Aaron Ferguson (@Sports_Aaron) February 18, 2016
Harris is a player that can defend multiple positions and gives the Pistons great flexibility on both ends of the court. When he gets a shot at starting and playing alongside Marcus Morris, the Pistons are going to have mismatches at both forward positions, and that excites Van Gundy.
“I think we can get them both pretty favorable matchups when they’re playing together,” Van Gundy said at a press conference Wednesday, according to Pistons.com. “One of them is going to have a bigger guy that is going to have to play them off the dribble and one of them is going to have to be played with a smaller guy. I think we can create things. We’ll try to build different things in as we go along and we’ll just see how quickly we can get up to speed.”
Harris not only bring a great offensive game, but he builds onto an already good core. Van Gundy has done a great job at building his young core of guys. Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Stanley Johnson, Andre Drummond, Morris, Harris and Motiejunas are all younger than 26.
The Pistons now have an opportunity to grow together as a team, and looks awfully similar to the Pistons team that went to four straight Eastern Conference Finals in the mid-2000s.
Next: Tobias Harris Helps Detroit Pistons Make Playoff Push
The Pistons have added three scorers at the trade deadline, depth to their rotations and versatility on defense. They are in great shape for the rest of the season and are looking like a team that could make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
They will resume play with a 27-27 record and in ninth place, but they are only four-and-a-half games behind the third-place Boston Celtics in the East.