Detroit Pistons: 3 goals for Jon Leuer in 2018-19

Detroit Pistons power forward Jon Leuer had a mostly lost campaign in 2017-18. Coming off that injury, he’s looking to bounce back this coming season.

The Detroit Pistons are heading into the 2018-19 season with an oddly deep roster. While the team isn’t set to contend for a title this year, it has a lot of veteran players that will make it difficult to develop some of the younger pieces.

One of those players seemingly “in the way” is power forward Jon Leuer. After a mostly lost season in which he only played in eight games, he’s looking for a bounce-back year.

Heading into the third season of the four-year contract he signed in 2016, he’ll be looking to show that he’s worth the value. With the Pistons looking to clear some cap space before the 2019 cap space derby, Leuer could be a piece they attempt to move if he rebuilds his value. In the era where floor-stretching bigs are one of the rarest commodities in basketball, Leuer has yet to ever show a consistent ability to stretch the floor.

It’s very possible that Leuer finishes the season in a different uniform than the one he starts in. His defensive ability makes him a decent big off the bench, but he needs to show that he can bring some offensive punch to the team. With Henry Ellenson still far from being a regular contributor, the Pistons won’t just give Leuer away, but, if Ellenson shows some progress at the beginning of the season, who knows what could happen.