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Detroit Pistons: Why Stanley Johnson Should Start At SF

By Gerald Bourguet

Oct 6, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (3) looks to shake hands with his teammates during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pacers win 115-112. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 6, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (3) looks to shake hands with his teammates during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pacers win 115-112. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the addition of Marcus Morris for nothing more than a future second-round pick, the Detroit Pistons found the kind of versatile wing shooter Stan Van Gundy prefers to spread the floor with. But through the team’s first three preseason games, one thing is rapidly becoming clear: rookie Stanley Johnson needs to be playing as many minutes as possible.

Preseason numbers always need to be taken with a grain of salt, and there’s no need to rush the development of a 19-year-old rookie. If he truly intends on being the best player from the 2015 NBA Draft class, he doesn’t need to prove it in Year 1. There will be plenty of time for him to do so.

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But there’s no question which Pistons small forward has been more impressive so far. After a 26-point preseason debut, Johnson quickly put himself on everyone’s radar, but he’s backed it up with strong play in the following two games as well.

For the preseason, Johnson is averaging 17.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 45 percent from the floor, 58.3 percent from three-point range and 83.3 percent from the foul line.

This former University of Arizona stud is doing all he can to prove himself to Van Gundy, preseason or not.

It’s not just the offensive end where Johnson has stood out. His intensity on defense, his strength and and his versatility with his ability to play multiple positions (he’s already played four different positions during the preseason) is a tremendous fit for Van Gundy’s offensive system that relies on perimeter shooters and interchangeability around the big man in the middle.

Marcus Morris, on the other hand, has shown nothing in his repertoire as a starter outside of what he showed the Phoenix Suns last year. He’s a good perimeter shooter and decent wing defender, but expecting anything more than that would be expecting too much.

Last season in Phoenix, Mook averaged 10.4 points in 25.2 minutes per game while shooting 35.8 percent from downtown. Through his first three preseason games in Detroit, Morris has posted 12.3 points in 24.0 minutes per game on 2-of-5 shooting from three-point range and 53.6 percent shooting overall.

While Morris has been very efficient on his limited number of attempts and minutes, this conversation starts and ends with setting realistic expectations for the 2015-16 season.

Reggie Jackson posted great individual numbers after joining the Pistons midseason, but Detroit did not morph into a better team over night.

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Andre Drummond may be ready for a leadership role, but with the Pistons still waiting for both Jackson and Brandon Jennings to get healthy for the start of the season, can we really expect this team to make the playoffs, even in the East?

Barring some pretty devastating injuries, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks all seem like sure-fire playoff teams. The Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks will be in the hunt, and you can’t even count out the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic or Brooklyn Nets at this point.

The Pistons will be a team in the hunt, and SVG is probably starting to feel the pressure of getting this franchise back to the postseason. But the daunting reality is that it will take a lot of things to go right for Detroit to even make the postseason, let alone manage anything more than a first round playoff exit.

To that end, why not take the time spent playing a wing who basically is what he is at this point in his career and invest it in a player who could become a face of the franchise down the road? Why not dedicate those minutes to a guy who could also log minutes at the point until Detroit’s guards are healthy again?

Andre Drummond may have the greatest chance at ascending to superstardom, but everything we’ve seen from Stanley Johnson indicates that he’s this team’s next best bet.

It’s only a matter of time before Stanley Johnson overtakes Marcus Morris for the starting job. His ceiling is that much higher and at age 26, Morris doesn’t have THAT much room for growth left in his game.

As someone who watched the Phoenix Suns a lot last season, I can say with confidence that Marcus Morris can be a serviceable starter, but nothing more than an average placeholder until something better comes along.

That “something better” is Stanley Johnson, no matter how long it takes for that day to officially arrive. While the Pistons would risk setting off a volatile personality who’s still pissed about being traded away from his twin brother Markieff Morris this summer, moving Marcus Morris to the bench and giving Stanley Johnson as much time to develop is the best play here.

Even without the context of setting realistic expectations for this year, for both the short-term and long-term future of the team, the Detroit Pistons will be better off allocating as many starting minutes to Stanley Johnson as possible.

Next: NBA: 10 Bounce-Back Candidates For 2015-16

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