Bone Appetit
The first option to consider is also the lesser of the two likely choices. There is no guarantee that the Pistons will convert Bone’s contract to move him up to the roster full time. Even if he does, head coach Dwane Casey has made it clear that you have to earn your minutes no matter what. Bone has been plagued by issues similar to Sekou Doumbouya and it has not gone unnoticed.
As the 57th overall pick in last season’s draft, expectations for Bone were not terribly high from the start. Many in the fan base looked for him to hopefully get the chance before realizing how much of an impact Derrick Rose would be.
His numbers in college did not jump off the page at you and that has not changed in the NBA. Bone has appeared in nine games so far this season and has only totaled six points and eight assists. To look for anything of substance, looking at his G-League production is more useful.
Bone has appeared 25 games for the Grand Rapids Drive and has been impressive for them. For the Drive, he has averaged 18.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists on nearly 45 percent shooting from the floor. He is also shooting 41.1 percent from three, which will be important if he is to land a consistent roster spot.
I can't see #Pistons moving forward with just Derrick Rose and Brandon Knight at PG. They may bring back a vet minimum option with that open roster spot.
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) February 18, 2020
Plenty of fans are already selling themselves on the next guard up for the Pistons, but this seems like the least likely option. Brown has been a consistent starter for the team and Derrick Rose is still here. It would not be surprising for the team to add a veteran point guard on the cheap to steady the rotation given Rose’s injury situation.
The most likely outcome for the former Tennessee Volunteer is to spend the majority of the rest of the season in Grand Rapids. He is further away from NBA production than the other young players and developing more can set him up for a strong summer league should the team have a spot for him after the upcoming draft.