The Detroit Pistons made low key acquisitions in the offseason, however the signing of Jon Leuer may prove to have a bigger upside than first thought.
Signing players like Ish Smith and Boban Marjanovic certainly helps the Detroit Pistons‘ depth, but it’s not likely to get people excited compared to flashier moves like the Golden State Warriors signing Kevin Durant or the Chicago Bulls signing Dwyane Wade. However, the signing of backup power forward Jon Leuer may prove to be one of the team’s better decisions over the past few years.
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Leuer has been the shining light in the first two preseason games, where the Pistons have mostly struggled against the Brooklyn Nets and the San Antonio Spurs.
While it is just preseason, Leuer’s skill set is tantalisingly diverse and is shaping up to be a huge asset for the season.
In his first game against the Nets he scored 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting, and in the Pistons’ most recent game against the Spurs he scored 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
We already knew he was a handy scorer from mid-range and can stretch out to the three-point line (he was 2-for-4 against the Spurs), but the most impressive thing is how he can do a little bit of everything.
He chipped in with five rebounds and five assists off the bench, and he was so impactful on the court that he was literally the only player to register a positive plus/minus (+2) for the Pistons.
Leuer is a clear upgrade at the backup power forward spot.
Anthony Tolliver plaued that role last season and he finished the season averaging 5.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 18.6 minutes, while shooting the ball at 36 percent from three.
Jon Leuer’s stats with the Phoenix Suns last season are superior in literally every category.
He averaged 8.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 18.7 minutes and shot the ball at 38 percent from three.
Tolliver also shot an abysmal 37 percent from the field, while Leuer shot 48 percent while taking two-and-a-half more shots per game.
If Leuer can carry last season’s form over, and judging from preseason it looks like he may have even improved, then the Pistons have found themselves a genuinely good player to come off the bench for them.
The Pistons’ bench was a mess last year, finishing last in the league for points per game.
Just adding Jon Leuer’s extra three points per game to last year’s bench would have seen it rise from dead last to 27th, and that’s assuming that Leuer doesn’t manage to score even more by joining a much better team than the Suns.
It may even be worth considering at some point whether starting Leuer could be worth a shot.
A lineup of Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jon Leuer, Andre Drummond and either Tobias Harris or Marcus Morris at the small forward position could be of some value depending on the matchup with opposing teams.
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Either way, the Pistons have signed a quality power forward who will significantly improve the team going forward.