Zach Lowe: Greg Monroe deserves more All-Star consideration

Zach Lowe of Grantland made his All-Star picks, and although Greg Monroe didn’t make Lowe’s Eastern Conference roster, the Pistons forward drew consideration:

"Monroe is playing the best all-around ball of his career and deserves stronger All-Star consideration than he appears to have received. He has outplayed Drummond for the balance of the season, and he’s working harder than ever on defense — at both big-man positions. When Detroit took off without Josh Smith, we all (justifiably) focused on the power of positioning three shooters around a pick-and-roll — something Stan Van Gundy can do only when he sits one of the Drummond-Monroe combination.Detroit A.S. (After Smoove) has actually been at its best with both Drummond and Monroe on the floor, per NBA.com. Monroe is beasting in the post, dishing snappy interior passes, and making smart reads on defense. He’ll never be a rim protector, but opposing ball handlers are shooting just 38.5 percent on pick-and-rolls in which Monroe’s man is the screener — a strong number, per Synergy.The roster weirdness that undid the Smith-era Pistons hurts Monroe’s All-Star case just enough to open up a spot for someone else."

Monroe, who’s averaging 15.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, is having a nice season and does deserve more All-Star consideration than he’s getting, which is to say any at all beyond Lowe’s column.

However, I didn’t include Monroe among my All-Star reserves or in my column about Andre Drummond and Brandon Jennings building toward 2016 All-Star berths for a reason.

Monroe has not stagnated, but his production this season is not far above his career norms – a level which has been, and continues to be, just below All-Star level. His All-Star candidacy has been debated in the past, and the result has been the same. The repeated denials probably prevented Monroe from generating much buzz this year with only slight improvements from his previous levels.

One of two things are likely to happen from here:

1. Monroe will improve significantly and become an All-Star. It’s certainly possible, but I’m not banking on it given Monroe’s limited athleticism and savvy. He hasn’t hit his ceiling, but I question just how much untapped potential he has left (which is not a bad thing. Monroe is in the All-Star discussion. That’s not a bad place to peak.).

2. Monroe remains at this level and eventually cracks through into the All-Star game in the right year, which will probably coincide with him playing for a better team – in Detroit or elsewhere.

On these Pistons, though, it’s quite understandable why Monroe hasn’t drawn more All-Star attention.