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Could D.J. Augustin be key to the Detroit Pistons’ bench?

By Duncan Smith

Apr 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Utah Jazz forward Chris Johnson (23) defends against Denver Nuggets guard D.J. Augustin (12) in the fourth quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Jazz defeated the Nuggets 100-84. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Utah Jazz forward Chris Johnson (23) defends against Denver Nuggets guard D.J. Augustin (12) in the fourth quarter at the Pepsi Center. The Jazz defeated the Nuggets 100-84. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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A former reserve for the Detroit Pistons might be a possible answer to the team’s issues at backup point guard. Can D.J. Augustin be the solution to the problem?

The Detroit Pistons have a depth problem, particularly at the point guard position. That’s no secret, and we here at Piston Powered have been pounding that point home. We’ve discussed possible signings of Brandon Jennings, Seth Curry and Jeremy Lin in the past few weeks, but perhaps the safest and most cost-effective option might be another former Piston, D.J. Augustin.

Augustin was a Piston for the first 54 games of the 2014-15 season, averaging 10.6 points and 4.9 assists in 24 minutes per game, primarily off the bench. He shot 41 percent from the floor and 32.7 percent from the three-point line.

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While these numbers are serviceable, what set Augustin apart the most in his time with the Pistons was the ten game stretch he had immediately after starter Brandon Jennings went down with a catastrophic Achilles rupture that ended his season. In those ten games, Augustin averaged 34 minutes per game, scoring 20.3 points and adding 8.2 assists per contest. He excelled until he was traded at the 2015 trade deadline as part of the deal that brought Reggie Jackson to Detroit.

With an expanded workload before the trade, Augustin’s shooting numbers rocketed upwards and he had shooting splits of .468/.432/.963. Naturally these numbers are significantly above the career backup’s numbers, as his career splits check in at .407/.374/.867, but it stands to reason that perhaps head coach Stan Van Gundy’s tutelage worked its typical point guard magic on him.

Jennings experienced a renaissance of his own under Van Gundy before his injury, particularly in the 16 games after the Pistons waived Josh Smith via the stretch provision. In those 16 games he averaged 19.8 points and seven assists per game on impressive shooting splits of .439/.394/.823, shooting numbers which were well above his career splits of .390/.350/.799.

These are both small sample sizes, but they’re worth taking a look at nonetheless. Van Gundy’s schemes are designed to unleash shooters, and it certainly seems as though once the interior logjam that Smith helped was vanquished, the space that opened up enabled Jennings and Augustin to let fly from long-range with abandon at a high rate of success.

So while we’re focusing on ten game samples from two seasons ago to cherry-pick Augustin’s potential value to the Pistons, it’s important to remember that his familiarity and success with Van Gundy and his system are a benefit.

It’s also worth noting that even with the exploding salary cap, Augustin should still be available for a reasonable price. He made $6 million on his last contract which was good for two years, and while he almost certainly outplayed the value of his contract, particularly after getting moved from Oklahoma City to the Denver Nuggets at this past deadline–averaging 11.6 points and 4.7 assists in 23 minutes per game–he should be affordable relative to some of the other free agent names expected to go on the market.

Next: Can Mirza Teletovic be the shooting solution?

Augustin won’t cure all of the Pistons’ ails, but he should make it easier to forget about the travesty that the backup point guard position was at times this past season under the leadership of Steve Blake.

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