Stanley Johnson vs Justise Winslow year 3
There was much debate regarding who the Detroit Pistons should draft in 2015. Many pundits had Justise Winslow ahead of Stanley Johnson, though as we know, the Pistons clearly did not. Going into year three, who will be better?
The Detroit Pistons had to be thrilled with how Stanley Johnson ended his rookie campaign. Not only were the Pistons in the playoffs, but Johnson had ended the season as a key member of their rotation, and he played an efficient series too.
Then Johnson went on to have an abysmal sophomore season, averaging just 17.8 minutes per game, 4.4 points, and shooting just over 35% from the field. His play and relationship with the coaching staff eventually lead to Johnson even falling out of the rotation.
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On the other end of the spectrum, you have Justise Winslow, whose team had an even better campaign during his rookie season, even winning a playoff series.
Winslow followed up year one with a season ending injury, 18 games into the season. When he was healthy, Winslow averaged better stats, but was much less efficient shooting. In fact, the only reasons Winslow’s scoring totals were better in year two was because of his increased role and minutes.
Needless to say, neither player has lived up to expectations yet, though for very different reasons.
For Johnson, he has had less opportunity with his team, and his relationship with the coaching staff (along with his own stubbornness), has lead to poor minutes and production. For Winslow, his role and relationship with his team has never been an issue, but his offensive abilities and health have been.
Year three is a big one for players, and as of right now, its hard to give an edge to either player. One could argue that Winslow has shown more at this point in his career, but I think there’s an equally compelling argument for Johnson and his lack of usage thus far.
Next: Andre Drummond's season outlook for the Pistons
Overall, I’d say both players have been equally disappointing and thus, have failed to separate from one another. It will be interesting to see if this will be the year that one player starts to take off.