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Detroit Pistons 2015-16 player profile: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

By Braden Shackelford

Apr 8, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris (5) during the third quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win 112-99. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris (5) during the third quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win 112-99. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Detroit Pistons player profiles continues with shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. How did Caldwell-Pope do this season and what does the future hold for the Pistons’ talented young player?

Who: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

2015-16 season stats: 14.5 points per game, 1.4 steals, 1.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 42% from the field, 30.9% from three, played in 76 games at 36.7 minutes per.

Season in review

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope took his defense to another level. I don’t know that he will make an all-NBA defensive team, because his stats don’t jump off of the page on the defensive end, but he certainly is deserving–just ask Steph Curry.

On the offensive end Caldwell-Pope’s scoring increased to 14.5 points per game from 12.7 the previous season. The stats aren’t a significant jump, particularly because he played a little over five more minutes per game.

Looking further into the stats, he did increase his field goal percentage slightly (up to 42% from 40% the previous season), but his three-point percentage saw a dip.

The theme with Caldwell-Pope’s young career is inconsistency. While his shooting can hit either extreme, Caldwell-Pope was able to be more effective this season during poor shooting slumps due to his improved dribbling and defense.

Still, there were those games where Caldwell-Pope was hardly a threat on offense and that’s something that’s hard to live with from a shooting guard as talented as Caldwell-Pope.

2016-17 season outlook

Caldwell-Pope can improve his consistency by working on his craft in the offseason and by adding more weight–something he’s said he intends to do in the offseason.

Adding more weight should help him finish contested shots on the offensive end and find his spots on the floor easier. He also needs to continue to work on his dribbling to help him weave through through the defenses.

2016-17 figures to be a big season for Caldwell-Pope should he not be re-signed this offseason. The talent is there, and if he puts it all together, he should be in for a big pay day as a restricted free agent the following offseason.

If Caldwell-Pope shows significant improvement, I expect the Pistons to pay the man. If not, Stan Van Gundy and Jeff Bower will have a difficult decision to make as he still figures to be a significant piece of the puzzle to the Pistons.

Personally, I think very highly of Caldwell-Pope based on what he’s shown. I think he can be a significant contributor on both ends of the floor and adding muscle to his frame will only make him that much more deadly on the defensive end. If that happens, Caldwell-Pope would be extremely difficult to let go of.

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