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Stan Van Gundy quotes and what to take from them?

By Ash Vanclay

DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 09: Head coach Stan Van Gundy of the Detroit Pistons calls a play while playing the Indiana Pacers during a preseason game at Little Caesars Arena on October 9, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 09: Head coach Stan Van Gundy of the Detroit Pistons calls a play while playing the Indiana Pacers during a preseason game at Little Caesars Arena on October 9, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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With the Detroit Pistons season just a day away, let’s take a look at and analyse some recent quotes from head coach Stan Van Gundy.

With the Detroit Pistons season just a day away, let’s take a look at and analyse some recent quotes from head coach Stan Van Gundy. These quotes are from the media session after Monday’s practice and audio is courtesy of Jake Chapman‘s Wired: Pistons podcast.

Van Gundy on Langston Galloway not completing full practice:

"“Lang had to be pulled out at the end (of practice), his knee was bothering him a little bit. I don’t think there’s anything major there but you know he had to be pulled out. I mean literally the last 10 minutes maybe, so he went 2 hours.”"

This doesn’t sound like anything to be alarmed about based on how much work he did do. Galloway is expected to be available for the Pistons’ opening game against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. This is good news considering the chemistry that appears to be built between Ish Smith and Galloway.

Van Gundy was asked: Does it cloud your assessment knowing that you didn’t have your whole starting group out there?

"“I’m not worried about an assessment now, you just need to know what you need to work on. And then as far as assessing line ups, we just have to do that as we move forward. Your defense is your defense, everyone should be able to go out there and play your defense.”"

What else do we expect from a  Van Gundy-coached team? He’s always emphasized defense.

When asked about a piece about the likely starters come opening night, where Van Gundy had mentioned that Andre Drummond, Avery Bradley, and Tobias Harris were all locked in, he was asked about Stanley Johnson: “Well Stan didn’t play that night, we know who we’re going to start”.

Van Gundy would not give anything else away

"“Our backup five is going to be a by-committee thing. A lot of times I may have some idea when I go into games, based on who the matchups are, but a lot of that will be going into the game and what we think we need when Andre is out of there.”"

This suggests that we’ll see at least two back up centers, with Jon Leuer and Boban Marjanovic being the most likely.

"“The rotation is going to change night to night. I sort of look at everybody on our roster as viable, first 5 games we’ll only have 12, not 13 (due to the Reggie Bullock suspension and needing to be active). I’ll look at all 12 of those guys as guys that can be ready to play.”"

This suggests Van Gundy may do something unprecedented for him and extend his rotation beyond nine or ten players. This is ultimately a good thing as the Detroit Pistons won’t have to rely so heavily on a few players, and this could lead to better production later on in the season.

On Reggie Jackson: “Yeah, he’s ready to go”

This can put this topic to bed. Jackson is back and healthy and hopefully the only talk throughout the season is on his play and not on his knee.

Next: Pistons exercise options on Johnson and Ellenson

Other things mentioned:

  • Henry Ellenson‘s offense, which has been really consistent throughout pre-season. Stan did mention that his defense needed to continue to improve to see regular playing time.
  • Avery Bradley‘s professionalism and how he doesn’t need to be coached, and that trickle down effect to other players – in particular Stanley Johnson.
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