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Detroit Pistons Summer League expectations

By Lennie King

Feb 27, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles forward Henry Ellenson (13) drives for the basket during the first half against the Villanova Wildcats at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles forward Henry Ellenson (13) drives for the basket during the first half against the Villanova Wildcats at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 12, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (3) stands on the first row of seats during the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Heat win 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 12, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (3) stands on the first row of seats during the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Heat win 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

Stanley Johnson

Watch out for: Shooting and ball handling.
Stats predictor: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists

Stanley Johnson made waves in the Pistons short time in the playoffs this past season. Detroit’s first playoff series in six years.

He made more of a name for himself with the brute defense played against LeBron James. Still a kid, Stanley shows a ton of maturity for his age. The only thing that needs maturing with Johnson is his game.

Stanley had spurts last year where he looked every bit as good as the “Best player in the draft” he proclaimed to be. But there was one stretch near the end of the regular season, after returning from injury, where it was clear he still had a lot of improvements to make.

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And that’s exactly what he’s looking to do. Van Gundy sent Summer League head coach and now Pistons associate head coach Bob Beyer to work with Johnson in the offseason with a number of skills to hone. Shooting being a top priority.

At last year’s Summer League, Pistons fans licked their chops at the sight of the young Stanley Johnson easing his way through the competition. This year, it may be a little different. Van Gundy isn’t looking for Johnson to go out and dominate, like he very well could. Instead, electing to test Johnson’s new and improved ball handling and shooting.

This may prove to be difficult for the competitive Johnson, so much so that Van Gundy nearly elected to keep him out of Summer League all together this year. It wasn’t until Bob Beyer convinced him otherwise that Van Gundy gave Johnson the go ahead. That speaks wonders for Johnson’s competitive edge, but it will also test his patience throughout the tournament. The thing I’m most interested in seeing is his newly refined shot.

Stan Van Gundy is said to have commented on it at an earlier Summer League training, telling Johnson; “It looks good”. Coming out of the draft many people were questioning the mechanics of his low release shot.

On his day, he still managed to get that low release to sink into the bottom of the net, but with a lot of reps and a higher arc, maybe those days could be a little more frequent than before.

I’m not expecting a hell of a lot out of Stanley for his second go round at Summer League, but I’d like to see improvements not just on his shooting but also the shot selection to go with it. He had a very questionable midrange game last season so if he tightens that up he’ll be a real threat for Detroit in years to come.

With a solid outing in Summer League, if Johnson can showcase his new skills and be a more consistent defender maybe we’ll finally see him in the starting small forward position, sliding Marcus Morris back to the sixth man role. Either way, improvements from Johnson will be huge for this young team.

Next: Lorenzo Brown

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