Detroit Pistons: The intriguing jump shot of Michael Gbinije

The Detroit Pistons selected Michael Gbinije with the 49th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. Gbinije played his senior season at Syracuse where he led the Orange to the Final Four.

The Detroit Pistons selected Michael Gbinije with the idea in mind that the organization doesn’t need immediate contributions from the mid-second round pick. Gbinije will have time to develop, and he’ll likely get some run with the Grand Rapids Drive in the NBA D-League.

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Throughout Gbinije’s college career, he has continued to develop as a player.

From his short stint at Duke, where he sat the bench prior to his three years at Syracuse, where he played off the ball before morphing into the Orange’s do-it-all point guard in his senior season.

With the collection of talent and youth the Pistons have, he will most likely spend a good portion of this season in the D-League though there are reasons to keep an eye on him.

Looking at this table below, you can see the progress Gbinije has made in his shooting over his college career. He improved the volume of his scoring to go along with more efficient shooting percentages.

He had almost identical shooting percentages from the field and from three in his final two years at Syracuse and his ability to shoot a near identical percentage with increased attempts in both threes and overall shots is encouraging.

Conversely, some have concerns that Gbinije is almost at his ceiling as player at age 24. The Pistons should be optimistic about Gbinije because of his track record of improvement in college and as a second round pick, they didn’t invest much into him compared to higher draft picks.

Given that shooting in today’s NBA is arguably the most sought after skill, Gbinije should really try to mold his game into that of a “three and d” specialist.

Furthermore, these type of players help space the floor with their spot up shooting ability but don’t need the ball in their hands.

On defense, they can provide good defense on opposing wings and guards. A few examples of guys like this in the NBA are Danny Green, Wesley Matthews, Courtney Lee, and DeMarre Carroll.

With this in mind, the odds are slim for anyone to become one of the previously mentioned players. Gbinije best chance at becoming an impact player starts with his three point shot.

Gbinije has great size at 6”7’ to be able to guard multiple positions and shoot over the top of smaller defenders. He has good athleticism and showed a promising three point shot in college.

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With attention to continuing to improve these areas of his game, it’s not out of the question that Gbinije could become a solid rotational piece for the Pistons down the road.

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