Kyle Singler: Detroit Pistons MIP
By Adam McGee
Two years into his NBA career, the Detroit Pistons’ Kyle Singler is firmly establishing his place in the league. Singler didn’t necessarily follow the traditional path to get into world’s best basketball league, but since he has arrived, he hasn’t looked at all out of place.
Drafted from Duke in the second round in 2011, the Pistons chose to send Singler to Spain to work on his game during the NBA lockout. After a short spell with Lucentum Alicante, Singler joined the prestigious Spanish club, Real Madrid.
When the Pistons finally signed Singler to a multi-year contract in the summer of 2012, he returned to the Motor City hardened and prepared for professional basketball. As a result, he started 74 games in his rookie season, a rare feat for a second-round pick.
The former Blue Devil would have hoped to build on that this year, although the varying opinions of two different head coaches meant that his minutes fluctuated in his sophomore season. Still, Singler showed more than enough this year to signal that he can continue to grow and develop into a valuable role player in Detroit.
The key to Singler’s game is his offense, and more specifically his shooting, and they improved in a variety of ways this season. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons that this made him my Pistons Most Improved Player for 2013-14.