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Detroit Pistons: Key players with something to prove down the stretch

By Corey Rausch

PORTLAND, OREGON - FEBRUARY 23: Christian Wood #35 of the Detroit Pistons warms up prior to taking on the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on February 23, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. 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 Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - FEBRUARY 23: Christian Wood #35 of the Detroit Pistons warms up prior to taking on the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on February 23, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. 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 Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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Young guys

There are a few young guys on the team that have bounced back and forth between DNPs, Grand Rapids and the main roster that have something to prove down the stretch. Donta Hall is on his second 10-day contract and has shown flashes of a solid rebounder.

Being a forward who can play center is better in today’s NBA rather than being a center only as positional versatility is the name of the game. Seeing Hall sign for the rest of the season and perhaps next season the ideal outcome for this second 10-day.

Louis King and Jordan Bone have gotten limited minutes on the main roster and have not yet shown much. That being said, tanking season is the perfect time to throw them out there and see what you have. Being on a two-way contract limits the number of days you can spend with the main roster and getting extra reps with the Drive can benefit their growth. But as we see Sekou Doumbouya go back and forth it would behoove the Pistons to do the same with Bone and King.

Speaking of Doumbouya, it is tough to say he has the most to prove since he is still one of the youngest players in the league and was considered a project coming in. However, this stretch will set the track for a huge summer for the young Piston. He started off starting for the team very strong and plateaued and plummeted almost as quickly.

Read. The Houston Rockets are finding out if rebounding matters. light

He will take some time to develop and going to Grand Rapids to dominate intermittently will only help to build his confidence. He is the first step in this rebuild, even if the team did not know it at the time. Molding him is the top priority for this team on the current roster.

Khyri Thomas, the final young guy to enter the lineup of late, may be in the most tenuous position. He has had very few opportunities to prove himself as a second-rounder in last year’s draft following the injury this season. He was surpassed by his draft mates Bruce Brown and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. Derrick Rose, Brandon Knight, Jordan McRae, Langston Galloway and the occasional Jordan Bone minutes cut into his time as well.

Luke Kennard will be back at some point and the projections for a lottery pick this summer point towards a guard. Thomas looked like the odd man out at the beginning of the season and the injury has not helped.

Thomas has the potential to be a 3-and-D wing and should get a chance to show it. Confidence will be key for him to take his shots when he gets a chance. He tends to find his way into more DNP-CDs than actual minutes so that may tell us all we need to know.

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