How will Gbinije impact Detroit Pistons in rookie year?
We explore the Michael Gbinijie’s background, strengths, weaknesses and long-term potential with the Pistons.
Background
Though the NBA Draft is now all about one-and-done players with talent and potential, the 24-year-old Michael Gbinije brings a wealth of experience and maturity that has Stan Van Gundy feeling optimistic about the rookie.
An All-State player and State Champion at Benedictine High, a Roman Catholic military school in Virginia, Gbinije spent a year at Duke under legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. After playing sparingly as a freshman, Gbinije transferred to Syracuse, where he sat out a season and then played out his remaining three years of eligibility under coach Jim Boeheim.
#Pistons Gbinije, who played at Duke and Syracuse: "Coach K instilled professionalism and Boeheim brought some mental toughness to me."
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) June 24, 2016
Gbinije improved drastically each year at Syracuse. His senior year, he averaged 18.4 points per game and shot 39 percent from beyond the arc while leading the ACC in steals. Perhaps more importantly, after starting his Syracuse career as a small forward, Gbinije improved his ballhandling each season, eventually starting at point guard for a team that made the 2016 Final Four.
If all that wasn’t enough, Gbinije also has international experience. Because his father is a native Nigerian, Gbinije was eligible to compete for Nigeria in the 2015 FIBA Africa Championship. He helped his team win gold at the tournament and qualify for this summer’s Olympics, in which Gbinije is also eligible to play.
Strengths
What drew the Pistons to Gbinije over local favorite Kay Felder from Oakland University was his size and versatility. While shooting guard is likely the most natural position for Gbinije, he can also handle the ball well enough to play point guard, and his size may allow him to guard many NBA small forwards, too.
Gbinije’s strengths align perfectly with the Pistons’ needs: he handles the ball well, passes well, makes smart decisions in transition, and, after growing accustomed to the FIBA 3-point line, appears well poised to become a good NBA shooter from beyond the arc. He’s not a guy that’s going to live in the paint, but he’s definitely athletic enough to make the occasional highlight play.
Gbinije played the 2-3 zone at Syracuse, but has some experience playing man defense with Nigeria and has all of the makings of a solid NBA defender.
Next: Weaknesses