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

1. Stay healthy

Through seven seasons, Leuer has only played more than 70 games once, and he has only played more than 60 games three times. Leuer doesn’t do himself or the team any favors sitting on the bench, but that’s where he has spent a lot of time in his career. Behind Blake Griffin, a healthy backup is always needed. One of Griffin’s goals for this season was to stay healthy also, so there is a theme at the power forward spot.

While some injuries are unavoidable, Leuer can do a better job of staying healthy with better conditioning. Casey rebuilt the team’s staff, and Leuer should take advantage of a revamped medical team. He’s had plenty of time off to get healthy, but he will now have to do the task of staying healthy. If he can do that, this season would already be a mild success. You obviously want more, but availability has been a major issue of his for every season.

This Pistons team has multiple players that deal with injuries on a regular basis. While Leuer playing all 82 games won’t be expected, playing 70 would be a major achievement considering how his career has gone. Some teams struggle to have healthy bodies all season long, but Leuer can be one of those for coach Casey this season. If he does it, then that will answer one of the biggest detractors that he has had to overcome.