2017 Draft

Keith Langlois

Lots of talk about the new-look Pistons backcourt – Avery Bradley, Langston Galloway, Luke Kennard and recovering holdover Reggie Jackson – in this week’s edition of Pistons Mailbag.

David (@davidgerth22): Do you think this is a playoff team?

Langlois: Wrote about this here and here. There’s still at least a 50-50 shot, in my view, that Kyrie Irving and Carmelo Anthony get traded before the season starts and that will have an impact on at least two Eastern Conference competitors. But as it stands today, yeah, I think the Pistons are in good shape to return to the playoffs this season. Even with the Irving uncertainty, Cleveland – along with Boston, Toronto and Washington – are pretty much locks for the playoffs unless catastrophic injuries strike. Milwaukee is in solid shape after the way the Bucks closed without Jabari Parker, who should be back for the stretch drive of the 2017-18 season. Then I’ve got the Pistons grouped with Charlotte and Miami as next in the pecking order. I’ve seen Philadelphia picked by others as on the heels of the top four in the East, but that’s making way too many assumptions about Joel Embiid’s health and the impact of Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz that I’m not anywhere close to taking as accepted science.

Marvin (Dasmarinas, Philippines): Any chance we can offer something to get Kyrie Irving?

Langlois: I’m sure the Pistons will be one of 29 teams that engage in some level of discourse with Cleveland’s front office, just as 29 teams talked to Indiana when it became known Paul George was going to be dealt. Cleveland probably feels less urgency to deal than Indiana did, given that Irving has two years left on his contract. His only real leverage to force a trade is to (a) get LeBron James sufficiently peeved that he encourages (insists on) a trade or (b) convince management he’d irreparably disrupt a title bid. But if you’re Dan Gilbert or Cleveland’s front office, what’s the bigger gamble: that Irving commits to sulking for a year and risks harming his reputation and market value across the league or that the team suffers for trading him for lesser talent or a less compatible fit? I’d roll the dice and keep him based on what we know now. But maybe it’s so dire they decide to go the other way. I can’t begin to guess at a trade package that doesn’t include a third team. I’d guess at Andre Drummond as the centerpiece in a two-team trade, but the Cavs have something of a poor man’s Drummond already in Tristan Thompson. Avery Bradley as a starting point? Maybe. He’d help anyone. What else it would take, who knows? The Cavs can’t afford to take on any additional salary, so that would be a factor. Multi-team deals likely would be the way the Pistons got involved, but those become complicated and unpredictable.

Kevin (Farmington Hills, Mich.): I’m feeling optimistic about the Pistons these days. Luke Kennard made 47.8 percent of his 23 3-point attempts in Orlando. What’s your thoughts on his upside? Can he be the next “Klay Curry?”

Langlois: I don’t know that Summer League gave any huge insights into his ceiling, but it might have told us about his floor. The success Kennard had in Orlando says he’s probably going to be a pretty solid rotation player, at minimum. Nothing wrong with that. How much he improves from that base will determine his ceiling. I think he’s got more than enough smarts and some of the more subtle athletic traits – peripheral vision and hand-eye coordination, for instance – to become a reliable scorer who contributes to offensive efficiency in other ways, too. He’s going to be an asset as a passer and playmaker off the dribble from a position other than point guard, which is an increasingly valuable trait. We’ll have a better idea of his upside a year from now and an even better handle on it two and three years from now. But Stan Van Gundy said he left Orlando feeling more convinced about Kennard – mostly because of what he showed at the defensive end – than he did on draft night.

Luke (@WolthuisLuke): Do you think Reggie Jackson and Avery Bradley will work well together?

Langlois: They’re both really good players – Jackson made a pretty good run at an All-Star berth in 2016 in a loaded year at point guard in the East and Bradley did the same last year before his Achilles injury knocked him out in January for six weeks. And good players usually work well together. It’s pretty rare when they don’t and it usually involves ego and overlapping skill sets. I don’t see either as an issue in this instance. There appears to be deep respect for the other from both players. That was easy to pick up on at Bradley’s introductory press conference a few weeks ago. In talking to Bradley afterward, he brought up Jackson first when he was asked about how the Celtics game planned for the Pistons. Jackson, who remembers how much he disliked playing against Bradley when they were 16-year-olds on the AAU circuit, flew in from Los Angeles just to be there for Bradley’s unveiling.

Josh (@ThatGuyGayle): What are the odds the Pistons can bring back Avery Bradley after the coming season?

Langlois: It’s a coin flip at this point because so little is known. It was certainly a positive sign that Bradley carried himself with such palpable enthusiasm at his introductory press conference. It’s one thing to show up and say the right things, but Bradley went above and beyond that, heaping praise on Stan Van Gundy for everything he’s heard about him, for the level of preparedness he always sensed in Pistons teams Van Gundy has coached and for the way he expects Van Gundy to push him to become a better player. From the Pistons end, it’s already clear Bradley is wanted. Van Gundy sacrificed Marcus Morris – not just one of his all-time favorite players, as he said, but a player whose team-friendly contract allowed the Pistons to steer money to other positions and would have for the next two seasons – to get Bradley. If Bradley stays healthy this season – durability is about the only red flag with him as he’s played in fewer than 70 games in five of his seven NBA seasons – the asking price is going to be high and the Pistons already have about $95 million in guaranteed money on the books for 2018-19. If Luke Kennard and Langston Galloway both show well this season, either they become attractive trade pieces or the Pistons could decide they’re enough at the position to let Bradley hit the market. The situation, as it often does, stands a solid chance of resolving itself over the course of 82 games and whatever follows. As of now, it’s a 50-50 call.

Brenden (@BrendenWelper): Will Tobias continue to come off the bench?

Langlois: Stan Van Gundy hasn’t said anything one way or the other on this score yet. My hunch is that he starts. What could change that? If Van Gundy is concerned about the lack of scoring off the bench. With Avery Bradley a more proven scorer at shooting guard next to Reggie Jackson, maybe Van Gundy will feel Harris will get more shots and be more valuable off the bench. If Harris is in the starting lineup, then the second unit probably is Ish Smith, Langston Galloway, Boban Marjanovic, Jon Leuer and maybe Reggie Bullock or Luke Kennard. Van Gundy usually went with a nine-man rotation last year and – when both Harris and Marcus Morris were starting – would usually get Morris out of the game midway through the first and third quarters in order to bring him back to start the second and fourth quarters as the scoring anchor of the second unit. Maybe he’ll use Harris similarly this season.

George (Riverside, Calif.): I know this is most likely an extremely long shot, but do you think there’s any chance the Warriors front office overreacts to open a window for trader Stan to steal Draymond?

Langlois: Going to assume you’re referring to the lawsuit a California lawyer said would be filed against Green for assault. Unless those details are horrific and there’s tangible evidence of Green’s guilt, your instincts are right, George. That’s an extreme long shot.

Ben (Moreland Hills, Ohio): Jerry Stackhouse is being hyped as an excellent coaching prospect and seems to be a year or two away from being offered a head coaching position in the NBA. As a former Piston and with SVG in the second half of his five-year deal, is there any way we can offer him a position so as to groom him to be SVG’s successor? Or do you think it would take a front office overhaul for this to happen? Knowing the type of guy he is, I could see him being the perfect coach to craft a blue-collar, tough Pistons team.

Langlois: Stan Van Gundy might be in the second half of the five-year deal he and Tom Gores shook hands on in May 2014, but there’s no indication he plans to walk away when it runs out. That said, Van Gundy has made clear he’s not the kind of guy who’ll hang around the NBA for any job that comes along. He was content sitting out for a few years after getting fired in Orlando and my guess is he’s got other things he’d like to do with his life eventually. If he and Gores are both satisfied with the progress the Pistons have made – and despite the disappointment of missing the playoffs last season, the Pistons are in a much better place now than when he took over – as the time comes to discuss a new contract, I’d expect them to continue their partnership beyond the 2018-19 season. As for bringing in Stackhouse, I don’t know of any prior relationship between Van Gundy and Stackhouse and that’s usually what leads to coaching or staff hires. If Van Gundy was actively trying to “groom” anyone to be his successor – he’s not – it would be Bob Beyer. Van Gundy named Beyer associate head coach a year ago because he thought it was important for other front offices to recognize Beyer’s place on Van Gundy’s staff. He’d love for Beyer to get a shot to be a head coach.

Tony (Warren, Mich.): Is it too early to call Bradley and Galloway “Pit Bulls 2.0?” Also, Boban reminds me of Rik Smits. Obviously, not as accomplished, but I really hope he is in the rotation. What do you think of that comparison?

Langlois: On Bradley-Galloway: yes, too soon. Let’s let them play a game together first. The comparison is also off by a half-turn because Lindsey Hunter and Mike James both came off the bench for limited spurts behind two guys, Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton, who played about 36 minutes a game. It was pretty easy for them to go all out for the 12 or so minutes a night Larry Brown paired them. Bradley’s going to play more than 30 minutes a game. He’ll play hard for all of them, but perhaps a degree less maniacally than James and Hunter. He certainly isn’t going to be applying full-court pressure, as Hunter and James did, as a 30-plus minutes guy. As for the Boban-Smith comp, pretty good. Smits came into his own at a younger age, but as far as incredible size and incongruous skill level, yes, that comparison is spot on. The game is a lot different in Boban’s era than it was for Smits, though. Even Smits would have a lesser role in today’s game.

Ken (Baton Rouge, La.): I really would like to see Avery Bradley, Luke Kennard, Stanley Johnson, Henry Ellenson and Andre Drummond on the court at the start of the season. I would rather lose with my future on the court than barely win with guys that have maximized their potential already, wouldn’t you?

Langlois: If you’re proposing that as a starting five, I’d say that’s putting Bradley – the presumptive point guard in your lineup – at something other than his best position. Not saying that’s a lineup that would never play together or couldn’t hold its own, but after seven seasons it’s pretty obvious Bradley isn’t a full-time point guard. He can certainly defend at that position, but his value on offense is more as a secondary ballhandler who can get to his preferred spots to score, not as a full-time facilitator. Your preferred lineup also excludes Reggie Jackson, at 27 a half-year older than Bradley, and Tobias Harris, who just turned 25. I don’t know why they would have maximized their potential if Bradley hasn’t. The only player 30 or over on the roster is Anthony Tolliver. The last thing you can accuse Stan Van Gundy of doing is stunting the growth of young players in favor of maxed-out vets.

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Pistons Mailbag - July 26, 2017

Questions about the backcourt – Avery Bradley’s likelihood of staying with the Pistons beyond this season and Reggie Jackson’s likelihood of returning to form – top the agenda in the latest edition of Pistons Mailbag.

Adam (St. Petersburg, Fla.): Is it the Pistons’ intent to re-sign Avery Bradley next year?

Langlois: That’s a safe assumption. We’re a long way from a decision coming from either side – heck, two weeks ago the expectation was still that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would be retained on a long-term deal and hold down shooting guard for the next five seasons – but, yeah, it’s easy to guess today that Stan Van Gundy and GM Jeff Bower would love to lock up Bradley in free agency next July. It will be a fairly robust free-agent market at the position, or at least has the potential to be. Bradley and Caldwell-Pope will both be free agents. So will J.J. Redick, while players like Gary Harris, Zach LaVine and Rodney Hood will be restricted free agents if they don’t sign extensions before the season starts. In the meantime, the Pistons get a full season to gauge not just Bradley and his fit, but two more newcomers at his position in Langston Galloway and Luke Kennard. How far the Pistons are willing to go on Bradley will be influenced by how they view Galloway and Kennard’s viability as the answer at shooting guard. The cap for 2018-19 probably isn’t going to be appreciably higher than the $99 million set for 2017-18 and the Pistons are already close to $100 million in guaranteed deals for 2018-19 without allowing for Bradley’s next deal. So retaining him is the clear preference today and very well could be next July 1, but doing so almost certainly means having to move some other contracts around to maintain even a modicum of cap flexibility.

Josh (Ferndale, Mich.): Is Reggie Jackson rehabbing or focusing on a particular area of his game this summer? What level is he back to right now and what can be expected of him by the time the season starts?

Langlois: He was at Avery Bradley’s introductory press conference last week and said his knee feels great. Stan Van Gundy felt that even though Jackson was medically cleared to go last December, he wasn’t ever quite right physically – not the knee tendinosis, necessarily, but the fact he had to shut it down for two months and needed to rebuild endurance and lower-body strength. And because Jackson wasn’t quite right physically, it affected him mentally and only got worse when the team wasn’t winning at the clip expected after he got back. Jackson said last week he’s spending much less time on the court to spare the wear and tear but much more time working on flexibility training. He’ll gradually gear up the on-court work as the summer unfolds, but the fact he came to Auburn Hills last September already complaining of knee pain spoke to the fact that he needed to dial it back in the off-season and has adjusted accordingly.

Jason (@JasonLambart): Projected starting lineup? Also, SVG’s roster is so deep he could pull a Popovich/Brad Stevens and play 12 a night consistently.

Langlois: You can pencil in three players right now: Andre Drummond, Avery Bradley, Reggie Jackson. Tobias Harris is certainly going to play 30-plus minutes a night and, I suppose, there is some chance he comes off the bench. But he’s right there with Drummond, Bradley and Jackson atop the playing-time pyramid. If I had to guess now – without the benefit of seeing how things shake out in preseason games – I’d say Harris and Stanley Johnson are the starters at forward. But it could be any combination of Harris, Johnson and Jon Leuer. With Avery Bradley’s scoring next to Jackson, maybe Van Gundy will feel Harris’ scoring is a better fit for the second unit. I don’t expect that to be the decision, but it’s possible. As for the rotation, I don’t expect Van Gundy to go 12 deep as a regular thing, but I do think it’s possible that pretty much everyone on the roster could be used on a given night depending on the opponent. So some nights it might be Boban Marjanovic as the backup center, another it could be Eric Moreland – or Leuer, possibly opening minutes at power forward for Henry Ellenson or Anthony Tolliver.

Owen (@O_mccarthy73): What is your honest opinion of how the Pistons will do next season?

Langlois: Well, since you said “honest”...Hey, there aren’t a ton of givens in the NBA. We know Golden State, given good health, should win the title again. We’re pretty sure LeBron James will carry Cleveland as far as it can possibly go, San Antonio will be a factor in the West and, after that, we don’t know a lot. I expected the Pistons to improve by 10 to 20 percent last year based on the fact all five starters were back, all still before or amid their prime years and coming off a 44-win playoff season. But the Reggie Jackson injury hung over the season from the first week of training camp on. You can’t write off the whole season to his injury, but it was the overwhelming choice as biggest factor in falling off from 44 to 37 wins and slipping from a mid-tier offensive team to a bottom-five unit. So if Jackson’s back to his 2015-16 levels – and that’s the expectation – then … we’ll see. The Pistons have changed since then. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Marcus Morris are gone. Avery Bradley is a significant pickup. They’ve added three veterans – Bradley, Langston Galloway and Anthony Tolliver – who are all above-average 3-point shooters and that has to help. Lottery pick Luke Kennard, if he can fight his way into the rotation, is a player who could add more juice to the offense. We know some East playoff teams are retrenching; Chicago, Indiana and Atlanta all lost All-Stars to the West. I think a 2015-16 performance is more likely for the Pistons than a 2016-17 repeat, but it’s got to come together before we can say that with any certainty. For more on Jackson, keep reading …

Ian (Phoenix): I think if we can ship out Reggie Jackson and a future first-rounder, we do it for Eric Bledsoe.

Langlois: A year ago at this time, would you have proposed that deal? Jackson and Bledsoe, by most objective measures, were similar players in 2015-16. Jackson signed a year after Bledsoe and got a slightly better deal based solely on the escalation of contracts spurred by the TV rights deal that was agreed to between their signings. You’d be attaching a No. 1 pick to shave about $2 million a year off the cap for a similar player – but get only two years of service instead of the three left on Jackson’s deal. If Jackson is healthy again – and, again, that’s everyone’s full expectation at this point – his contract is more than reasonable in the context of a $99 million cap. You generally attach picks to contracts viewed as onerous. Why would you do it in this case? Only if you view Jackson as permanently damaged goods. I’ve said this in several different responses to different questions regarding Jackson over the past few months, but common sense here says you bring him back and see what you’ve got. If he’s right, then you go forward with a point guard who has been your best offensive player. If he’s not, you deal with it as best you can – and, at that point, maybe a deal like you propose becomes necessary. But trading him now almost requires an unsatisfactory return – settling for 50 or 75 cents on the dollar.

Dawson (Three Rivers, Mich.): With the recent rumors linking Reggie Jackson to the Pelicans, what do you think the likelihood of him being traded this off-season is? I think this team needs a bigger shakeup than the Avery Bradley trade. If we traded Jackson, we could get someone like Brandon Jennings to come off the bench and play good minutes. He knows the system and is a big fan favorite. I think we need to give Ish a chance to start because the offense ran somewhat smoothly with him at the point.

Langlois: Likelihood of Jackson trade this summer: 5 percent? And that’s a higher estimate than I’d give to the more relevant question: What is the likelihood of the Pistons trading Reggie Jackson and coming away with a more valuable asset than the Jackson of 2015-16? The Pistons, based on all available evidence and the prognosis for a full recovery as provided by their medical staff, are simply a much better team with Reggie Jackson at full speed than they could expect to be by trading him for what his current value on the open market would be. Teams just aren’t going to be willing to offer value based on the Jackson of 2015-16 – until they see the evidence on the court starting in October. So what’s the upside in trading him now? And if he, indeed, is that guy again to re-establish his trade value, why would you trade him? The narrative that Brandon Jennings is a fan favorite here has curiously long legs. He was basically scorned for his first two seasons and into the third, had a brilliant five-week stretch and then tore his Achilles. He hit the winning shot in the “Form a Bleepin’ Wall” game in San Antonio that cemented a legacy in that city more than anything since the Alamo was stormed. He hasn’t been anything close to that player since an injury that devastates careers more often than not. Trading Jackson and plugging in Jennings to pair with Ish Smith in the point guard rotation is … well, it’s a plan.

Hermy (@Hermaphro): Roster improvement is great, but getting back to the playoffs ends with Reggie being healthy again. What are folks saying about his knee?

Langlois: He said – last week, when he attended Avery Bradley’s press conference – that he’s feeling no ill effects from the knee tendinosis that sidelined him for the first 21 games last season and affected him all year, perhaps mentally more than physically as frustration mounted. It’s going to take seeing it in full-court, five-on-five basketball and that won’t come until mid-September, at the earliest, when players congregate in Auburn Hills for voluntary workouts before the opening of training camp. But from medical staff to Jackson himself, there doesn’t seem to be any red flag flying. And, you’re right. His health (and state of mind about his health) is the biggest factor in determining the success of the season ahead.

Robbie (@TheTrianoKid): How much playing time will Kennard and Ellenson expect to get this season?

Langlois: That’s a different question if you take the “expect to” out of there. I don’t know what their expectations are. It’s fair to think that 99 percent of NBA players expect to play, or believe they should, at least. Ellenson probably has a good handle on what he’s up against after a season of knocking heads with veterans in practice and seeing how, even against D-League competition, players older and stronger than him have advantages that only time and strength gains can fully address. Kennard said he’s focused on that – gaining strength – as well since his Duke season ended in preparation for the draft. You can only rush those processes so much. Ellenson will have Jon Leuer, Anthony Tolliver and, quite likely, Tobias Harris to battle for minutes at power forward. Kennard has Avery Bradley, a potential All-Star, plus Langston Galloway ahead of him at shooting guard, where Reggie Bullock also is an option. Ellenson and Kennard are both gifted scorers and all-around offensive players and that’s something that could get them on the floor for a team that ranked 25th in offense last season. But the Pistons made other moves to address offense – Galloway, Bradley and Tolliver all offer improved 3-point shooting – so it’s going to require Ellenson and Kennard to show they can hold up at the defensive end to crack the door to playing time for them.

Ken (Dharamsala, India): How do the Pistons handle veterans such as Avery Bradley and Langston Galloway immediately after acquisition? Are coaches quickly sent out to them? Do Pistons players welcome them? Is an attempt made to let them know they are welcome to the franchise and important as people? The NBA is a business, but if I were an owner I think I might try to make an effort to treat traded players with some degree of heart-felt consideration for the upheaval in their lives. Money isn’t everything.

Langlois: True enough, money isn’t everything – but it has a way of rounding the sharp edges of reality. The great majority of NBA players dream of it as a destination. Most of them love basketball, of course, but there are places to play basketball in leagues outside the NBA where they probably could get a contract that offered them no-trade protection. No, they’ll take the uncertainty of life in the NBA – and the prestige and the lifetime security available that comes with it – 999 times out of 1,000. As for reaching out, yes, yes, yes. That happens routinely. I don’t know about sending a coach immediately to a player acquired in trade, but usually arrangements are made to bring the player to his new hometown. Last week, the Pistons held introductory press conferences for Avery Bradley, Langston Galloway, Eric Moreland, Reggie Bullock and Anthony Tolliver. They have people in the front office whose job duties include putting them in touch with realtors to find a suitable place to live and with professionals in myriad other fields to ease their transition to a new home. The basketball world is amazingly small and well connected, so any time a player is added his new teammates either already have his phone number in their contacts list or can get it by contacting a mutual friend; I’d be surprised if there’s ever more than two degrees of separation involving any player that’s been in the league for more than a 10-day contract. The Pistons did everything they could to make Bradley feel at home, fully aware he’ll be a free agent next July. It’s different for Galloway, Moreland, Bullock and Tolliver. All signed as free agents, so coming to Detroit was their call. All of their qualms about uprooting, it stands to reason, have been addressed in the recruiting/negotiating process.

Scott (@brodiegames): Will Boban become more of a focal point given his strong showing late last season? I haven’t seen Stan Van Gundy say much about him this off-season.

Langlois: “Focal point” wouldn’t be the descriptor I’d use. “Frequent contributor,” perhaps. It remains to be seen if he’ll be the everyday backup center as Aron Baynes was for almost all of his two seasons here, the occasional spot duty for Marjanovic before his end-of-season trial run the exception. Marjanovic is a unique player, and I’m fully aware how overused that word is. I don’t know if anyone 7-foot-4 has ever had the shooting touch and range he has and it’s an exceptionally sturdy 7-foot-4. You can’t move him once he establishes position. So he can be an incredible scoring and rebounding force. Whether he becomes a player Van Gundy uses regardless of matchups comes down to this: Can Marjanovic exploit his man on offense more than he gets exploited on defense, especially in pick-and-roll coverage. He worked tirelessly last season – like, after every practice – in drills designed to increase his lateral mobility. And Stan Van Gundy saw noticeable improvement. Will it be enough to keep him on the floor against lineups with quicker, more mobile big men? To be determined.

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Pistons Mailbag - July 19, 2017

Anything happen since our last Mailbag? Why, yes, yes it did. On with Mailbag...

Kevin (Farmington Hills, Mich.): I’m flummoxed. Can you please give us a rational explanation on why Aron Baynes signed – for less money than he turned down – with Boston after all the hoopla on why he left Detroit.

Langlois: Good question and a reminder that free agency is a windfall for some and not so much for others and, ultimately, a gamble for all but the guys who are no-brainer maximum contract players. Last summer there was a robust market for backup big men. Timofey Mozgov ($65 million), Ian Mahinmi  ($64 million) and Bismack Biyombo ($72 million) all got the maximum term for free agents signing with another team (four years) at high annual average value. It was a bubble year, though, the season where the cap jumped $30 million. This year the cap actually was dialed backward from projections. But with so many teams committing to big, multiyear deals last season, the reality is there just weren’t that many with significant (or any) cap space this season and nobody was throwing money at big men. Dwayne Dedmon finally got a deal Tuesday for a reported $14 million over two years – compare that to last year’s deals. (Willie Reed, JaVale McGee and Nerlens Noel remain unsigned.) When the Pistons saw the Mozgov, Mahinmi and Biyombo deals last summer, they acted to spend the money they had under the cap to sign Boban Marjanovic in large part because they knew they would not have cap space this summer to sign a backup big man. Baynes held an option for 2017-18 and the Pistons – because they only held his partial Bird rights – were limited to paying him 175 percent of his 2016-17 salary. That totaled $11.375 million. Baynes’ option for next season with the Pistons would have paid him $6.5 million. So he obviously expected to get an offer above that – but there are no guarantees. So to directly answer your question of why he signed with Boston for less – for a reported $4.3 million for one year – it’s almost certainly because that was his best offer. To clarify: He opted out of his deal with the Pistons for $6.5 million so that was no longer an option for him. The good news for Baynes is that he’s going to a very good team that has a clear need for a big man who can rebound and defend. He’ll get plenty of minutes and hit the market again next summer to try again.

Big-E (@emcno505): Do you think Tobias will stay at the four or play at the three?

Langlois: That’s going to depend more on how others perform than how Harris plays. He can play either one and about equally effectively. There are some threes who’d challenge him defensively – the same ones who challenge everyone defensively – and some fours who’ll give him size issues. First in the line of “others” who’ll determine where Harris plays: Stanley Johnson. If I had to guess today, I’d think Van Gundy’s preference is for Johnson to play well enough to win the position in training camp because he’s got a shot to be a better defender against guys like LeBron James, DeMar DeRozan, Giannis Antetokounmpo and whoever else counts as the best small forwards in the East now that Paul George and Jimmy Butler have moved West. I wouldn’t discount the possibility that Van Gundy uses Johnson and Jon Leuer as rotating starters depending on the night’s matchup with Harris the constant in the starting lineup. Another way of answering your question: It almost doesn’t matter. I saw Brad Stevens the other day saying he doesn’t have five positions any longer, but three: ballhandlers, wings and bigs. Because most teams are playing only one true big at a time, Harris – a wing by Stevens’ description – can play either forward spot interchangeably against many teams.

Darrell (Detroit): I like the moves the Pistons have made thus far. With the roster at 13 players, what additional moves might the Pistons make? I know the team is guard heavy, but I really like what I saw from Pierre Jackson. He looks like a poor man’s Isaiah Thomas. He’d be a nice protection against injury and the prospect of Avery Bradley not returning next season.

Langlois: They have three open roster spots – two if they guarantee the contract of Michael Gbinije – but indications are they’ll fill only two and then sign two more players to two-way contracts. They aren’t going to sign another point guard, Stan Van Gundy said earlier this week, but if nobody else gives Jackson a guaranteed deal I would be surprised only if the Pistons did not highly consider Jackson on a two-way deal. I think he showed in Orlando that he’s an NBA point guard, especially in today’s game with a greater emphasis on making plays off the dribble and exploiting the open spaces provided by 3-point shooters spreading the floor. Since the Pistons don’t plan to sign a pure No. 3 point guard – Langston Galloway will fill that role while also backing up at shooting guard – the Pistons might have that much of an edge over other teams interested in Jackson on a two-way deal. As for what they’ll do with the two roster spots, keep reading.

Adam (St. Petersburgh, Fla.): Is there a chance the Pistons will bring Reggie Bullock back?

Langlois: I think so, with a couple of caveats. It’s already been reported that the sides have agreed to terms and indications are the second year is not guaranteed. That makes sense. I’m pretty sure the Pistons want to fill the 13th and 14th roster spots with players on one-year contracts to create as much flexibility as possible for next summer. Bullock would fit because he’d give them another shooter and, at 6-foot-7, he’s a bigger shooting guard than the two newcomers added, Avery Bradley and Langston Galloway. Similarly, the other need is probably for a different type of defender at power forward to complement Jon Leuer and Henry Ellenson. Like Bullock, another ex-Piston has been reported to be the fit there: Anthony Tolliver, also on a one-year deal as reported. We know Tolliver is a good 3-point shooter who attempted 80 percent of his shots from the arc during his last season with the Pistons, 2015-16. He’s also a very sound defender probably better suited to guarding players that might prove troublesome for Leuer or Ellenson.

Ken (Dharamsala, India): Now that the smoke has cleared a little bit, where are the Pistons, cap-wise, for the near future? Could Aron Baynes be a Piston next year?

Langlois: Four days ago, I couldn’t tell you where Aron Baynes was going to land for this season. You’d have as good a chance predicting where he winds up next year by throwing darts blindfolded. The Pistons are probably unlikely for the same reason they were this year: As it stands now, they have $32 million invested in centers Andre Drummond and Boban Marjanovic for 2018-19 with Eric Moreland also under contract, though reportedly not guaranteed for that season. Center figures to be pretty low on the priority list. As for their cap situation for next season, it doesn’t appear as if the Pistons will have cap space. They could get there with some maneuvering – including renouncing Avery Bradley to wipe out his $13 million cap hole – but it won’t be a big summer in free agency for the Pistons next year, most likely.

Paul (Phoenix): The quick signing of Langston Galloway after the draft was a clear statement that KCP was a goner. That $7 million a year was money for KCP. Why didn’t they trade KCP before the draft or dump Reggie Jackson for a second-rounder. That would have freed enough up for KCP. They still could’ve traded for Bradley and started him at point guard. Detroit will regret letting KCP walk for nothing and will miss his play.

Langlois: I’ll start with this: The only guys you wind up losing for nothing are players who’d get more than a maximum salary if the NBA didn’t have a rule tamping down what individual players can earn. So if LeBron James or Kevin Durant walk, yeah, you’re not replacing that – no way, no how. Anybody short of that leaves and it creates a money void to be filled by the players you plug in their stead. When someone like Caldwell-Pope walks, you spread the money out to others. It’s fair to guess that Caldwell-Pope’s side wanted a five-year, $100 million-plus contract. Actually, it’s fair to guess they wanted what Otto Porter got – a max offer sheet of four years for $106 million – but at least expected to get a $20 million annual average. (That they reportedly accepted a one-year deal at $18 million from the Lakers, in fact, proves it. They weren’t taking a lower annual average over the chance to try again in free agency next summer, so went the fairly unusual and somewhat risky route of taking a one-year deal.) Signing him to that, as I wrote this week, would have given the Pistons their shooting guard for the next five years and eliminated uncertainty over whether Avery Bradley will stay or leave next summer. But here’s what else it would have done: essentially set the Pistons roster for the foreseeable future. Their cap flexibility would have been nil. You’d have to be really certain you like that team because you’d be locked in. As for Bradley as a full-time point guard, that’s not a sound plan. He’s above average as a secondary ballhandler – better off the dribble than Caldwell-Pope – and he can give the Pistons minutes at point guard. But I wouldn’t bet that he’ll play a meaningful minute there next season except defensively. They’ve got Reggie Jackson, Ish Smith and Galloway ahead of him at the point. As for your contention that Caldwell-Pope was a goner when Galloway signed, that’s just wrong. Van Gundy said at Monday’s press conference that he was signed more as protection – against Jackson not bouncing back fully from injury and against Caldwell-Pope getting an offer that blew them away. But they did not make the decision to cut ties with Caldwell-Pope by signing Galloway. Even in a vacuum, the Pistons wanted Galloway because he shot 39 percent from three last season (with more than half his attempts coming from the arc), could serve as another secondary ballhandler and would help their defense – three areas Van Gundy cited when the season ended that needed upgrading.

Bob (Albany, Oregon): Great trade for Bradley. Certainly, KCP and Marcus Morris will be missed for their class and abilities. Given the player movement, Morris was the best chip to facilitate such a deal with his contract. KCP simply was a casualty of the numbers crunch. My take is now to leave Harris as the sixth man with Johnson and Leuer starting at forward and opening minutes for Ellenson. The Pistons are now loaded with multipositional players to augment Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond.

Langlois: It was my hunch all along that Morris was the most likely starter to be traded precisely because of his contract. It was too attractive and was bound to draw the most compelling offers. Even teams that might have preferred Tobias Harris to Morris would look at the cost – Harris will earn about three times what Morris will make over the next two seasons – and easily decide on Morris as the target. When Boston needed to shed a starter to fit Gordon Hayward’s contract under the cap, Bradley became available. Taking Harris wasn’t possible, given Boston’s cap circumstance. Getting Morris opened up $3 million in cap space to give Boston the room to sign Hayward. I would wager a bagel that Harris will be an opening night starter. It might be he still starts at power forward, too, with Stanley Johnson starting at small forward and Jon Leuer coming off the bench, as I detailed above. He’s a great luxury to have off the bench as a scorer and, in fact, I’d guess that Stan Van Gundy will stagger his rotation so that Harris comes out of the game midway through the first and third quarters so he can anchor second-unit scoring. It’s just tough to play a guy the minutes Van Gundy likely wants to play Harris and have him not start games. It really means he has to play the last 16 to 18 minutes of each half without rest. But you could be right. Bradley gives the Pistons a more consistent No. 2 scorer than they’ve had to pair with Jackson. Some of it will be driven by need and performance of the second unit. If Langston Galloway or Luke Kennard give the Pistons reliable scoring, maybe Van Gundy won’t feel pressed to have Harris play that role. If the second unit struggles to score, then maybe he’ll move Harris back to that role.

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Pistons Mailbag - July 12, 2017

Since our last roundup, the Pistons have drafted Luke Kennard and gathered in Orlando to start practices for Summer League play. That’s a good place to start the latest edition of Pistons Mailbag.

Jhoni Cruz (@Jpcveinti2): Do you think Luke Kennard was drafted with the possibility of them moving on from KCP? Do you see Ellenson becoming a part of the rotation this year?

Langlois: Kennard was drafted because he was the next name on their board after the first 11 picks were made in the draft, Jhoni. Simple as that. It doesn’t hurt that his offensive skill set fits a need for playmakers at a position other than point guard, but, no, Kennard wasn’t drafted as a hedge against Kentavious Caldwell-Pope drawing an offer sheet that makes the Pistons balk at matching it. Now, as with all draft picks who have four years of relatively cheap money coming, if Kennard blows up then the Pistons have the luxury of making a decision from a position of strength. But they haven’t changed their public stance that they fully intend to have Caldwell-Pope in a Pistons uniform next season. As for Ellenson, it’s tough to see both him and Jon Leuer having a regular rotation spot as the roster currently exists. But it’s June. The roster could look different in a week or two. I don’t know that Stan Van Gundy is going to make any sweeping conclusions based on what he sees in Summer League, but he’s going to have four days of two-a-day practices to see Ellenson before free agency and trade season opens in earnest on Saturday. It’s not like Ellenson is starting from scratch in winning Van Gundy’s confidence, either. If he shows him clear signs of progress in areas of strength and ability to defend, both around the rim and on the perimeter, then maybe that nudges him just enough to feel comfortable dipping into his frontcourt assets bin in a deal to address other concerns.

Ken (Baton Rouge, La.): So we can’t trade Luke Kennard, Stanley Johnson, Henry Ellenson and our first-rounder for next year for Kristaps Porzingis?

Langlois: Hey, I like Porzingis as much as the next guy, but the hype train is rolling at reckless speeds. I’m still skeptical that the Knicks are going to follow through on a deal for Porzingis – and especially now that the Knicks and Phil Jackson have, ahem, “parted company” – unless they get blown away. When it was suggested that Jackson informed Phoenix any deal would have to start with Devin Booker and the No. 4 pick, it told me they weren’t really eager to deal Porzingis at all costs but would listen if someone wanted to get silly. For as much as Stan Van Gundy admires Porzingis – and he’s talked about Porzingis fondly since scouting him in Europe prior to the 2015 draft – I don’t know if the Pistons are ready to cash in so many assets that they couldn’t compete for years even with a team built around Porzingis.

Bailey (@BHammontree_): Based off of last season’s performance, where exactly do the Pistons go from here to improve their team and make them better contenders?

Langlois: On a continuum that starts with “nah, we’re good,” and ends with “oh my God we’ve got to trade everybody,” the Pistons are firmly on middle ground. Here’s what Stan Van Gundy said last week about the approach his front office is taking into the launch of the NBA’s hectic transaction period: “I like our guys. I’ve said that many times. We didn’t have a good year. We can come back with our same group and I feel – with better health and guys with a little better focus – we can be a lot better next year with the same group. I like our group. Does that mean that we’re not going to do our due diligence and try to find things that make us better? Not at all. We are always looking for ways to get better.” Things got a little sideways on the Pistons last year starting with Reggie Jackson’s preseason injury. He was a huge driver of their success during the 44-win 2015-16 season. They adjusted as well as could have been expected to his 21-game absence, going 11-10. When he returned, the expectation was they would pick up where they left off with him in training camp and that, in retrospect, cost them dearly. Jackson clearly wasn’t himself and the logical assumption that time would facilitate his return to peak form proved inaccurate. As that realization settled, frustration set in all around. It weighed heavily on many, most notably on Jackson, and ultimately Van Gundy made the call to shut him down for the season’s last few weeks. By all accounts, Jackson is fully fit again – physically, mentally, emotionally – and that gives the Pistons a shot to press the reset button. Van Gundy is surely open to deals that up the talent level or provide better fits, as he sees it, and if I had to place a bet on one side or the other I’d go with a trade being more likely than not. But it won’t be a move driven by desperation to remake the chemistry.

Zachary (@kirbitz_13): Will any Summer League games be aired on TV?

Langlois: All of them, via NBA TV. The schedule is as follows: Saturday, 5 p.m. vs. Oklahoma City; Sunday, 1 p.m. vs. New York; Tuesday, 5 p.m. vs. Miami; Wednesday, 3 p.m. vs. Charlotte; Thursday, TBD based on standings through Wednesday’s games.

Fredrick (@DtwMimms): How come the Pistons are never in the Las Vegas Summer League?

Langlois: The Pistons first came to Orlando for Summer League in 2012 at Lawrence Frank’s urging. He had experienced Orlando’s Summer League in previous stops and preferred its setup to Las Vegas, which spreads out its schedule and where games are open to the public. Stan Van Gundy has continued the relationship, no surprise given his experience with the league as coach of the host Magic. Van Gundy still has a home in Orlando, though that has lesser influence in the decision.

Luke Kennard for MVP (@dan_k32): Any possible free agents we could sign? If so, who?

Langlois: I don’t think the Pistons are going to be making any news in the wee hours of Saturday morning as free agency dawns this year, as they did last year when they reached agreement with Ish Smith sometime around 3 a.m. It’s possible – perhaps even likely – that the only positions the Pistons will fill in free agency, barring trades that open roster spots and depth chart needs, are No. 3 center and No. 3 point guard. Those are decisions that typically get made anywhere from a few weeks into free agency up until the eve of training camp.

Jason (@JasonLambart): Summer League roster and projected starters? Thoughts on Bullock/Hilliard/Gbinije? My guess is Bullock finds a new team, Hilliard is waived and Gbinije sticks.

Langlois: I think it’ll be next to impossible for the Pistons to retain both Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Bullock. So I’ll agree that Bullock is likely ticketed for a new team. Hilliard is not practicing with the Pistons for Summer League and they just drafted another shooting guard whose strengths overlap Hilliard’s. Draw your own conclusions. The Pistons have all of Summer League practices and games to evaluate Gbinije. If they’ve already made up their mind, they’re not saying so publicly. With roster spots tight – even without Bullock or Hilliard, the Pistons still have 11 roster spots accounted for without Gbinije and they need a third point guard and a third center – it seems logical that Gbinije might need to convince the Pistons to keep him around. The flip side is the Pistons only have the mid-level exception (and biannual exception, though using both would very likely push them into luxury tax territory) to add the third point guard and third center. If they were to decline the option on Gbinije and intend to fill his roster spot to get to 14, they’d probably be looking at signing someone to a minimum contract and using that exception. Doesn’t mean they wouldn’t do so, but it lowers the expectation level of finding someone who represents a clear upgrade. The Summer League roster was released on Tuesday. I’d expect the starters to be Henry Ellenson, Luke Kennard, Michael Gbinije, Lorenzo Brown/Pierre Jackson and Eric Moreland. Hollis Thompson, Derek Willis and Mike Tobey are other guys they’ll probably want to get a pretty good look at.

But Her Emails! (@jacklost12): If Kennard doesn’t improve his defense, is it safe to assume he won’t be a contributing member of the team next season?

Langlois: Yes. Stan Van Gundy said as much last week. “He’s a mature offensive player for his age coming in. I would have no question putting him in the game offensively now. But defensively I wouldn’t put him in a game right now.” But it’s June and Van Gundy would be the first to tell you that it’s a meaningless assessment right now. Kennard will have seven or eight Summer League practices to begin changing the narrative on his defensive readiness, then five Summer League games and all of the September voluntary workouts that include full-court scrimmaging and – most critically – all of training camp. That’s where Van Gundy will draw his conclusions. Keep in mind that there’s not some magical threshold Kennard must cross and for every player there’s a different tolerance level. It’s no secret that Kennard’s carrying tool comes at the offensive end. He doesn’t have to be a stopper on defense; he just has to offer more than passive resistance and win his share of defensive possessions. They’re not expecting him to be Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. If he wins a rotation role, it will be for the minutes Caldwell-Pope sits, in all likelihood, and that comes when the opposition doesn’t have its primary backcourt scorer on the floor. He’ll have a shot to win minutes in training camp and, even then, the chance to prove himself doesn’t stop. No one denies he has considerable competitive drive. That’s usually a pretty good foundation to build a competent defender.

Peter (@PeterHi11): Is Stanley expected to play all of Summer League?

Langlois: He’s in Orlando but just to go through the four days of two-a-day practices that are scheduled. He won’t play in Summer League games. That’s fairly standard practice for players entering their third season, at least if they’ve already established a role in the NBA. Johnson had a disappointing second season, but there’s not much to be gained for him by playing in a third Summer League. He’s proven he can thrive in that environment. They wanted him here for practices to set a tone and flex his muscles some in a leadership role. Other than that, they want him less involved in five-on-five competition and more on fine tuning components of his offensive game.

R.T.B (@TTrebor313): Is SVG going to give Boban, Stanley and Luke the needed minutes to progress?

Langlois: Can’t speak for Stan Van Gundy, but my guess is he would say something like this: “The premise of your question is backward. The question should be, ‘Are Boban, Stanley and Luke going to progress enough to earn minutes?’ ” It’s not quite as simple as saying Tom Gores hired Stan Van Gundy to win games – in a greater sense, he hired him to make the Pistons healthy enough to compete for championships over a sustained period – but, yeah, his job is to win games. If he feels the three guys you mentioned, or anyone else, increases that likelihood, they’ll get all the minutes they can handle.

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Pistons Mailbag - June 28, 2017

AUBURN HILLS – This sets up as a different summer for the Stan Van Gundy-era Pistons. It’s his fourth off-season but the first in which the Pistons go into July 1 without cap space – all while two and three deep at every position.

Here’s what that means, in all likelihood: If the Pistons make headlines this summer, it will be via trade.

And there’s a decent chance of that, but to guess at what move is likely or to put a percentage on the chances of a major deal is impossible. Van Gundy, since the dying days of last season, has indicated a willingness bordering on a preference to change the mix, but he’s also not about to make any quick-fix moves that risk a healthy future for a moderate short-term bump in expectations.

“I like our guys,” Van Gundy said after drafting Luke Kennard last week. “We didn’t have a good year. We can come back with our same group and I feel – with better health and guys with a little better focus – we can be a lot better next year with the same group. I like our group. Does that mean that we’re not going to do our due diligence and try to find things that make us better? Not at all. We are always looking for ways to get better.”

Because the Pistons will have only salary cap exceptions to use – the mid-level and biannual in addition to veteran minimum exceptions – it’s likely the Pistons won’t be striking any quick deals this year as they did last summer, coming to terms with Ish Smith only hours into free agency and with Jon Leuer within 48 hours. And with the luxury tax a concern – even more so with last week’s news that the threshold will be $119 million, $2 million less than expected – it’s unlikely the Pistons will use both the mid-level and biannual exceptions.

The major order of business later this week as free agency opens at 12:01 a.m. Saturday will be to bring things to a conclusion with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in restricted free agency. Chances are his agent probes the market to see what other teams are willing to offer, but Van Gundy and general manager Jeff Bower have been transparent in their intent to retain Caldwell-Pope.

And they have leverage on their side to make certain Caldwell-Pope wears their uniform at least for the 2017-18 season. If Caldwell-Pope doesn’t agree to an offer sheet with another team, one the Pistons would hold the right to match, and can’t come to terms with the Pistons – though a resolution by one or the other of those means is the overwhelming likelihood – he could sign his tender with the Pistons and play out next season well below market value to become an unrestricted free agent in July 2018.

Beyond that – barring trades that reshuffle the depth chart – the Pistons probably will use the mid-level exception, $8.4 million, to add a third center, assuming Aron Baynes signs elsewhere, and a third point guard.

With Andre Drummond and Boban Marjanovic at center; Tobias Harris, Leuer and Henry Ellenson at power forward; Marcus Morris, Stanley Johnson and Michael Gbinije at small forward; Caldwell-Pope, Johnson and Kennard at shooting guard; and Reggie Jackson and Smith at point guard, the Pistons would have a 14-man roster once they add the third center and point guard. Reggie Bullock, a restricted free agent, is likely to sign elsewhere and Darrun Hilliard has an option that must be picked up by July 1.

The Pistons might not want to commit to a 15th roster spot at this time, especially with Van Gundy saying last week the Pistons intend to make use of the new wrinkle that allows teams to sign two players to “two-way” contracts that limit them to 45 days with the NBA team during the G League calendar. Adding two such players would effectively give the Pistons a 16-man roster.

The Pistons open Summer League practice on Tuesday in Orlando and are set to play the first of five games on Saturday.

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A different summer for SVG’s Pistons, meaning trade is likely path to change

AUBURN HILLS – Even before Luke Kennard holds up his new Pistons jersey for the cameras this afternoon and poses alongside the man in whose hands his future rests, he’ll have had the talk with Stan Van Gundy.

Van Gundy, after taking the Duke sophomore with the 12th pick in Thursday’s draft, ticked off the three areas the Pistons needed to improve over the summer and how Kennard fit that mission.

“What we wanted to add to the roster was two things, 3-point shooting and guys who could make plays and create shots for themselves and other people. He can do both of those. Now the third thing is that we wanted to get guys who were better defensively. He’s got a lot of work to do in that area – a lot of work to do in that area. So we’ll have that first talk tomorrow, because offensively he’s really good. Really good. But he’s got to do a lot more at the defensive end of the floor if he wants to get on the floor.”

Van Gundy rightly earned the reputation of a defense-first coach, but he’s not inflexible. He’s willing to make some sacrifices defensively if he gets back enough at the other end. But what he saw on tape from Kennard defensively at Duke, he knows, isn’t going to be enough to consider the tradeoff.

But he puts a rather large caveat on his critiques of Kennard’s college defensive efforts. Asked if he thought Kennard’s defense should have been a red flag, Van Gundy said this:

“Every single guy on the board, even in the first pick on down, has red flags. And the number of guys that are great offensive players in college that really apply themselves defensively is a very, very, very small number. I can go from pick one on down – I’ve watched ’em all – this is a common theme. To be fair, they carry great offensive loads at their schools. Luke carried a huge offensive load. What he did was pretty incredible. The top 20 guys – and I’m not going to get into names – there were two that defended out of 20. So if you say red flags, yeah, I had red flags of that on 18 of the 20 guys in the first 20 picks.”

In watching Kennard carry Duke’s offense – and do so down the stretch of its biggest games repeatedly – and gauging how he might fit into an NBA defense, Van Gundy reverted to his experience with another Duke shooting guard. It’s a tale he’s told before in general tones of how smart players can help build a top-10 NBA defense.

“I tell the story all the time, another Duke guy. (J.J.) Redick came into the league and everybody said, ‘He can’t guard.’ Even when I got to Orlando, ‘He can’t guard.’ I probably think higher of J.J.’s defense than anybody else does, because I’ve seen it. I coached the guy. You can be a very good defensive team with guys who take great pride and have great intelligence and want to get the job done. So I don’t doubt his capabilities. He didn’t do it. I watched a lot of games. He didn’t do it.”

Kennard visited the Pistons on June 10 and after showing off his diverse offensive skills in a workout he watched video with Van Gundy.

“He’s really smart on film. I think he has an understanding,” Van Gundy said. “He’s really just got to focus.”

Kennard knew questions about his defense were coming when he made the decision to leave Duke after leading the Blue Devils in scoring at 19.5 points a game and shooting 44 percent from the 3-point line. Mostly he expected them to revolve around his athleticism. Since his season ended in March, he’s focused on getting stronger.

“I think if I become a stronger player physically, it’ll help me,” he said. “It’ll help me guard.”

It won’t take long for Van Gundy to get a first glimpse of what a Kennard focused on the defensive end can accomplish. The Pistons will open Summer League practices on Tuesday and play their first game on July 1, nine days after calling Kennard’s name in the draft.

Kennard, an Ohio native, is thrilled to be back in the Midwest and close to home, about a 3½ -hour drive to Detroit from Franklin, southwest of Columbus.

“I know that this is a great place for me to be, the way that I play. I’m excited,” Kennard said. “I think I fit well and I’m excited to make an impact in any way I can. I’m really looking forward to it.”

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SVG’s first talk with Pistons No. 1 pick Kennard: Play D, see the floor

AUBURN HILLS – What Luke Kennard might give up on defense – and Stan Van Gundy pulled no punches in describing the work Kennard has ahead of him at that end to get on the court – the Pistons expect he’ll more than make up for on offense.

The Pistons weren’t driven to draft the Duke sophomore because they finished 25th in offensive rating. They drafted him because they thought he had the brightest NBA future of anybody available when their turn came up. But now that they have him, the Pistons expect Kennard to be part of the solution in making sure those types of offensive finishes don’t happen in the future.

“He can really play offensively. I mean, really play offensively,” Van Gundy said after the Pistons spent the 12th pick on Kennard, passing on Louisville’s Donovan Mitchell who went on the next pick. “He is a skilled guy with a polished offensive game.”

It wasn’t just Kennard’s skill that popped off the screen as Van Gundy watched “13 or 14” Duke game tapes – including a Wednesday night session where Kennard and Mitchell went at it in the ACC tournament – but the way his level of play elevated to match the moment.

“Where he was great in games was down the stretch, when the game’s on the line. He wanted the ball and he came through. He was their guy all year in those situations. He’s really got that kind of presence. He wants the ball in those situations. He’s got great confidence in himself. He’s got a little swagger to him.”

The draft didn’t produce much in the way of surprises ahead of the Pistons, aside from a blockbuster trade that saw Chicago send Jimmy Butler to Minnesota and gave the Bulls the No. 7 pick as part of the return. But the 11 names that the Pistons saw go off the board went according to expectations.

“It pretty much unfolded the way we thought it would unfold,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t think we really had a surprise in the whole thing. It went exactly the way we expected it to go.”

It also didn’t come as a great surprise to Kennard that he went where he did, but he tried to shut himself out of advanced warning.

“I kind of put my phone to the side, didn’t look at anything,” said Kennard from New York, where he attended the draft at Barclays Center. “I was hoping. Detroit is a great place. When I heard my name called, it was a special moment.”

Kennard, 20,will give Van Gundy more options to build into his playbook offensively as a shooting guard who can handle, shoot and pass while also presenting him with some questions on defense for how to make up for the fact Kennard’s presence will make it more of a risk to switch on perimeter screens.

“Even guarding his own position. That’s an area where he’s just got to get a lot better,” Van Gundy said. “Quite honestly, in my opinion, he’s got to take a lot more pride in it than he did this past year. He’s got to do that if he wants to get on the floor. His offense is good. You can put him in an NBA game right now and he can go play with four other players. He’s a mature offensive player for his age. I would have no question putting him in the game offensively now. But defensively, I wouldn’t put him in a game right now.”

Kennard, 6-foot-5½, will come to the NBA as perhaps the most polished offensive rookie. He can shoot from all three levels, put the ball on the floor, has superb footwork that allows him to get his shot off in traffic and against athletic defenders and gets to the line. Van Gundy envisions putting the ball in Kennard’s hands and letting his offensive creativity and playmaking come to the surface.

“He definitely can do all that,” Van Gundy said. “He can run off screens and make plays. He’s not just a spot-up shooter. He can do that if somebody drives and kicks to him, but that’s not really his game. His game is to play with the ball, come off screens, make plays. I look at him as a playmaker, a scorer. He’s not a 3-and-D guy, he’s a scorer and a playmaker. He’s an offensive guy.”

The Pistons came into the night with no second-round pick, having traded it to Utah as part of the three-team deal that brought Reggie Jackson to Detroit in February 2015. Van Gundy said the Pistons got a few calls as the draft unfolded with trade proposals, nothing that came remotely close to tempting them to move up or back.

Kennard will have to beat out someone for minutes at shooting guard, where Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the incumbent and a player the Pistons fully expect to retain in restricted free agency. Stanley Johnson has served as his primary backup the past two seasons and Darrun Hilliard and Michael Gbinije are other possibilities. But if Kennard can show Van Gundy enough at the defensive end in training camp and preseason, it will be hard to keep him out of the rotation.

“I think one of the big things is strength,” Kennard said. “If I become a stronger player physically, it’ll help me. It’ll help me guard. I’m looking forward to improving. I have improved. I know I can. I’m just looking forward to that process.”

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Pistons add polished offensive force in Duke’s Luke Kennard

AUBURN HILLS – The Pistons wound up bringing 40 players to Auburn Hills for draft workouts and it’s fairly easy to separate them into two groups: likely first-round picks and likely undrafted free agents.

There might be a player or two among the 40 to their practice facility across eight sessions spanning four weeks who winds up sneaking into the second round. But the Pistons enter tonight’s draft without a second-round pick – shipped to Utah as part of the three-team deal that brought Reggie Jackson to town – and that influenced either the invitations the Pistons sent out or the acceptance of prospects who saw no upside in working out for a team with only the No. 12 pick.

There was another factor at work this year that also shaped the list of Pistons workout invitations: the advent of the two-way contract. As part of the newly reached collective bargaining agreement, each team can sign two players to “two-way” contracts, a 16th and 17th player that can spend up to 45 days with the NBA parent team and the rest with the newly christened G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive in the Pistons’ case.

Of the 40 players to visit Auburn Hills – Marcus Keene of Central Michigan participated in two workouts; Cal’s Ivan Rabb visited but didn’t work out due to injury – 12 are considered first-round prospects. Syracuse’s Tyler Lydon is probably the player with the greatest chance to slip into the second round, though Rabb is another who might be susceptible to falling on draft night.

Seven players who worked out for the Pistons will be among the 20 in the Barclays Center green room for the draft: Bam Adebayo, Jarrett Allen, John Collins, Justin Jackson, Luke Kennard, Donovan Mitchell and Justin Patton. An eighth player, Harry Giles, reportedly declined an invitation to the green room. Lydon, Rabb, UCLA’s Ike Anigbogu and North Carolina’s Tony Bradley are the four players with first-round possibilities who worked out for the Pistons but weren’t invited to the green room.

A year ago, when the Pistons had both first- and second-round picks, they brought in 49 players for draft visits.

Here’s the list of the 40 players who visited the Pistons over the past month, with first-round prospects marked with an asterisk:

MAY 23
*Ike Anigbogu – UCLA, 6-10
Michael Ojo – Florida State, 7-1
Reggie Upshaw Jr. – Middle Tennessee State, 6-7
Jeremy Senglin – Weber State, 6-2
Milton Doyle – Loyola Chicago, 6-4
Matt Williams – Central Florida, 6-5

*Bam Adebayo – Kentucky, 6-10
*Ivan Rabb – California, 6-11
*Justin Jackson – North Carolina, 6-8
Andrew White – Syracuse, 6-7
James Blackmon Jr. – Indiana, 6-4
Isaiah Briscoe – Kentucky, 6-3

*Luke Kennard – Duke, 6-6
*Harry Giles – Duke, 6-10
*John Collins – Wake Forest, 6-10
Isaac Humphries – Kentucky, 7-0

Derrick Walton – Michigan, 6-1
Melo Trimble – Maryland, 6-2
Davon Reed – Miami, 6-6
Luke Fischer – Marquette, 6-11
Peter Jok – Iowa, 6-6
*Tony Bradley – North Carolina, 6-11

*Tyler Lydon  - Syracuse, 6-9
Marcus Keene – Central Michigan, 5-9
Bryce Alford – UCLA, 6-3
Derek Willis – Kentucky, 6-9
Zak Irvin – Michigan, 6-6
TJ Cline – Richmond, 6-9

*Justin Patton – Creighton, 6-11
Landen Lucas – Kansas, 6-10
John Gillon – Syracuse, 6-0
Jonathan Williams – Toledo, 6-3
*Jarrett Allen – Texas, 6-11

Moses Kingsley – Arkansas, 6-10
Steve Taylor Jr. – Toledo, 6-7
Tyler Roberson – Syracuse, 6-8
Rashawn Thomas – Texas A&amp;M C-C, 6-8

Jamel Artis – Pitt, 6-6
Marcus Keene – Central Michigan, 5-9
Ray Lee – Eastern Michigan, 6-3
*Donovan Mitchell – Louisville, 6-3