At a glance, the Detroit Pistons are in for a great season after a promising offseason, but Stanley Johnson needs to keep grinding and make an immense impact this upcoming season.
Stanley Johnson is ready to make an extensive amount of impact in the 2017-18 season, his third season. The Detroit Pistons went to work this offseason and picked up some key assets that would help the team. Like the Pistons this offseason Johnson worked hard as well as he’s fully aware this is the most important year for him.
His name was no secret this summer as Johnson scored 86 points in the OVO Bounce Championship game sponsored by Drake. Johnson scored 16 points in the final 20 seconds of the fourth quarter and in overtime to secure the overtime against Team CIO. Other NBA players took notice.
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy has already addressed how important this year is for him.
Van Gundy said,
"“We see a big improvement in Stanley and this we’ll be a big year for him.”"
He also noted, that Johnson has matured a lot since he was drafted and that he should expect a bigger role this upcoming season. Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, he has to make a significant impact this season.
Without a doubt, Johnson was a star at Arizona, but the transition to the NBA has been hard for him as he continues to find his role specifically on the offensive of the ball. He has the skill set and builds to be an impactful NBA player, but so far it’s been all defensive praise and Pistons guard Avery Bradley is one of them.
#Pistons Bradley on Stanley: "I've seen a young guy who is very talented and trying to figure out what he does that's special -- defense."
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) September 25, 2017
"He's a freak athlete ... and the sky's the limit for him." https://t.co/FYehpO4on2
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) September 25, 2017
With maturity comes leadership and after the Detroit Pistons lost forward Marcus Morris this offseason, it seems like Johnson wants to fill that void. With the loss of Morris Johnson feels urged to fill that gap.
Johnson said,
"“I have to at this point. I feel like I’m a person who is knowledgeable of things now. There’s really no excuses for me. I’m still really, really young in the league, but this is my third year so this is my junior year. I think junior year I got my license in high school, so you’re all alone. For me, I think I’ve learned a lot of respect from the guys here. I think we all respect each other. For me, it’s just all about playing hard, playing smart and playing together and individually, just doing what I do.”"
Next: SVG talks about Andre Drummond's camp so far
With a significant role comes great responsibility. As Johnson enters into this season its important for him know his role because for him the last two seasons, he hasn’t had a definite role. The only concern Johnson should have is how he played in the past two seasons. He can only use that as motivation entering this season.