How the Detroit Pistons can become relevant again in 2018-19

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 17: Andre Drummond #0 of Team LeBron is interviewed for the upcoming 2018 NBA All-Star game during Media Day at the Verizon Up Arena at LACC on February 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 17: Andre Drummond #0 of Team LeBron is interviewed for the upcoming 2018 NBA All-Star game during Media Day at the Verizon Up Arena at LACC on February 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
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Detroit Pistons
Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images

Luke Kennard follows Grayson Allen‘s footsteps

Before the Pistons drafted him last year, Luke Kennard was a college teammate of Duke’s Grayson Allen, arguably the biggest villain college basketball had seen since … well, since Duke’s Christian Laettner in the 1990s.

Allen was a great player (prerequisite for being a memorable sports villain) for a blue blood program, but Duke has had plenty of those over the years. What really made Allen the bad guy was his track record of allegedly dirty plays, such as tripping and taking cheap shots at opponents. His temper tantrums and reportedly punch-able face also helped him earn that reputation.

Whatever Kennard may have picked up from Allen, from Coach K, or from that campus in Durham, N.C., should he unlock it in the NBA, the Pistons would have a villain on their roster unlike any they’ve had since Bill Laimbeer during the “Bad Boys” era.

It’s not even specifically about being dirty. The point is to be polarizing. When half the crowd hates you and the other half loves you, the biggest takeaway is that you’re getting strong reactions and people are paying attention.

Take it from LeBron James, or from LaVar Ball. Polarization pays off in the sports world.