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Detroit Pistons: Young Wings Earn USA Select Bids

By Aaron Ferguson

Nov 6, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (3) reacts following the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (3) reacts following the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Detroit Pistons have Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Stanley Johnson set to help Team USA train for the 2016 Summer Olympics by being named to the USA Select Team.

Detroit Pistons young wings Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Stanley Johnson will be key contributors to the USA Basketball team’s 2016 Summer Olympics run.

No, they haven’t been named to USA Basketball’s team, but they are expected to be named to the USA Select Team, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Vince Ellis. The USA Select Team practices and scrimmages against Team USA leading up to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The selection dons great respect for Caldwell-Pope and Johnson as young basketball players that are on the rise. Because they will scrimmage against the country’s best players, they will have an opportunity to be students of the game while learning from some of the best players in the world.

Caldwell-Pope, 23, has improved in each of his three NBA seasons. He finished the 2015-16 season by averaging 14.5 points and 1.4 steals per game. He shot 42.0 percent from the field and had a 52.1 true shooting percentage.

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KCP has shined defensively and has set lofty goals, including being named to the NBA’s All-Defensive teams throughout his career, according to MLive’s David Mayo. KCP held the league’s back-to-back MVP winner, Stephen Curry (30.1 PPG), to 22 points in their first meeting. Curry responded by scoring 38 at The Palace in a 113-95 Pistons win.

He excelled against the association’s best. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (23.5 PPG) was held to 14 points in their first meeting and 24 in the second. Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (19.0 PPG) only managed to average 12.8 points per game in four meetings with the Pistons, including a two-point performance in their first contest.

Johnson, 19, had a strong showing during his rookie campaign. He averaged 8.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He struggled to shoot efficiently by hitting 37.5 percent of his shots and 30.7 on three-point attempts, but he showed steady improvement in the playoffs.

Johnson stepped into his own offensively against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Pistons’ first playoff series in seven years. He shot 52.2 percent (12-for-23) from the field and was 6-of-10 (60 percent) from three-point range.

He is athletic and has good length to defend multiple positions on the court, which is a great asset for him according to ESPN’s Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton. He is a competitor and showed confidence by claiming that he was “in LeBron James‘ head”, according to The Detroit News’ Rod Beard.

Both of the Pistons’ young wings have areas of their game to improve. That will come with more experience, and being a part of the USA Select Team will give them a great experience and it could lead in as a pipeline to the 2020 Olympic Team.

Caldwell-Pope is a good defender, but he needs to improve his offensive game. Playing alongside Andre Drummond, who is in the mix to make USA Basketball’s Olympic roster, and Reggie Jackson, KCP is going to be a third scoring option, at best. With Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris also in the mix, KCP could be a fifth option.

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    • As showcased in the playoffs, all of the Pistons starters can score. Caldwell-Pope elevated his game offensively to score 15.3 points per game. He was a better shooter, too. He connected on 12-of-27 (44.4 percent) of his three-pointers and shot 44.0 percent from the field overall.

    If KCP can carry this shooting performance into next season, his game will go to the next level. He won’t be a top scoring option with the Pistons, but his three-point shooting has to improve. His best scoring chances will come on kick outs, or driving to the basket. His 30.9 regular season three-point percentage needs to improve for the Pistons to take another step offensively.

    For Johnson, it’s as simple as continuing to learn and improve on both ends of the court. The former No. 8 overall pick has the potential to be a good two-way player. He has established himself as one of the six, by my count, core players for the Pistons moving forward.

    Johnson’s playoff performance may have been the most encouraging part of the Pistons’ playoffs appearance. He proved that he wasn’t afraid of the competition, and why should he be? He’s a player that won four state championships in high school. His offensive game needs to improve in terms of shooting efficiency and defensively, he has to improve as an on-ball defender.

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    The future is bright for the Pistons, who have three of their six core players that will get to practice and scrimmage with USA Basketball this summer. This opportunity for growth and learning as individual players should feed nicely into their careers as they continue to blossom.

    It will also help the USA Basketball program prepare for the Olympics, as KCP and Johnson will make the country’s best players better.

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