What is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s ceiling?
By Joe Imburgia
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the only member of the Detroit Pistons core who isn’t currently on a multiyear deal. Still only 23, he’s made tremendous strides defensively in his first three years in the league. The Pistons would love to sign him to an extension for the right price though his three-point shooting is leaving a lot to be desired.
Last season, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope took a big step forward for the Detroit Pistons in his perimeter defense. Pope was tasked with guarding the opposing teams’ best perimeter player every night and was up to the task. Off the ball, his relentless hustle and screen maneuvering contributed towards his ability to chase opposing guards off ball and stay attached them.
On the ball, his tremendous agility and quickness helped him stay in front of guards and contest their shots. Per NBA.com player tracking, last season players shot 2.9 percent worse from three and 1.7 percent worse from the field overall when being guarded by Pope.
He had great defensive performances against some of the best guards in the league like Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and John Wall. He put his name in the conversation for the NBA all-defensive teams and should be a candidate for years to come.
Coming out of Georgia three years ago, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope looked to be a player who could become a great three-point shooter. His 37 percent three-point shooting on seven attempts per game looked to be sign that he could become a great shooter in the NBA.
He has underwhelmed up to this point in his career from behind the arc. He hasn’t shot above 34.5 percent in a season and regressed to 31 percent last season. Moreover, Pope is streaky and has shown his ability to get hot in a hurry just as fast as his ability to go ice-cold.
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With this in mind, this article from BBall Breakdown does a great job of explaining in detail why Pope’s three point shot has been inconsistent thus far in his career. It has mainly to do with his balance and footwork in setting up for his shot. Correspondingly, he needs to work on developing a good habit of having proper balance and footwork during his shooting motion.
His role in the starting lineup is to be a defensive pest and spot-up three-point shooter. He’s close to becoming a true “three and d” player with his streaky and inconsistent shooting being the only thing stopping him. Add in his tremendous acceleration and ability to finish in transition and you get plays like this.
Related Story: It's time for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to shine for the Detroit Pistons
Pope is a very willing shooter and will have a high volume of three-point shots available for him within this Pistons’ offense. If he can develop proper technique with his feet and balance, the desired jump in his three-point shooting could follow.