Detroit Pistons player profile: Henry Ellenson

Henry Ellenson finds himself deep on the depth chart, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have a meaningful rookie season with the Detroit Pistons in 2016-17.

Henry Ellenson was drafted by the Pistons with the 18th overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft after an impressive one-and-done season with Marquette.

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He averaged 17 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 blocks in 33 games in his single college season.

Ellenson has the makings of an all-round big man, even despite his disappointing shooting numbers.

He took 104 three-point attempts and made 30 of them, good for 28.8 per cent.

However, he is just 19-years-old and won’t turn 20 until next January. Combined with his willingness to work hard and develop a reliable jump shot this should hold him in good stead.

Unfortunately for Ellenson, Marquette had a disappointing seasons and missed the NCAA tournament and no doubt impacted his draft stock.

Stan Van Gundy will be hoping this results in Ellenson being a draft steal for the Pistons if he reaches the potential the franchise believes he has.

Ellenson will be well and truly entrenched behind Tobias Harris, Marcus Morris and Jon Leuer for the foreseeable future. All three players will be projected to play significant minutes at the power forward position this season.

Ellenson will get minimal chances to log minutes at center as well, with Andre Drummond, Aron Baynes and Boban Marjanović ahead of him.

Ellenson seems prepared to embrace this role, and that may be the catalyst to spark a surprisingly impressive season from the 6’11” rookie.

While he might not see much court time, he has all the tools to impress when he does get on the court.

He’s a solid rebounder, so he can be relied upon to pull down boards. While the likelihood of Ellenson creating much offence for himself is low, he is a crafty passer. Ellenson should be able to set other teammates up once he gets adjusted to the flow of playing in the NBA.

Ellenson is also a solid finisher at the rim, averaging just a tick under 50 percent in college, so he’ll make the most of his limited opportunities to put points on the board.

He’s also surprisingly athletic.

Ellenson will likely spend much of the first half of the season toiling away for the Pistons’ D-League team in Grand Rapids. However, with many suspecting a midseason trade is on the way from Stan Van Gundy he needs to show the coach he is improving and can hold his own in the NBA if a trade opens up a space on the depth chart.

Even without a trade, if he works hard in the first half of the season it is more than likely Van Gundy will give him chances to play in the NBA. This is something we saw last season when guys like Reggie Bullock and Darrun Hilliard were let loose and had opportunities to establish themselves.

Next: Top five point guards in Detroit Pistons history

Henry Ellenson won’t set the world on fire or win Rookie of the Year in his debut season, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a success.

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