The Detroit Pistons got an excellent performance from second year forward Henry Ellenson, who scored 13 points on five of 10 shooting, and added four rebounds. Can we expect this sort of output from Ellenson moving forward, or was this a mirage?
The Detroit Pistons first round pick from 2016, Henry Ellenson, showed up in a big way for the team in the season opener, notching 13 points and four rebounds. That sounds pretty impressive for a guy who seldom played in his rookie season, but his play goes beyond the box score–he looked really good.
Then again, Ellenson, a guy who was mocked in the top 10 most of the season only to fall all the way to 18 to the Pistons due to a lack of explosiveness, has what many consider significant limitations.
Ellenson truthers–a club I am the CEO and President off–say he’s also a seven footer with guard-like handles and shooting stroke, with a high basketball IQ that makes him one of the few unicorns in the NBA.
Therein lies the dilemma of Ellenson–he’s got really intriguing abilities, but also limitations that could make him difficult to play.
The reality is that none of that matters now, only how Ellenson performs on the court. I mention the varying degrees of perspectives to highlight the difficulty in assessing how Ellenson should perform rest of season for the Pistons.
There will likely be nights were the Pistons have to limit his minutes. That will prove to be even more true on nights where his shot isn’t falling.
So the real question is, considering that Ellenson is a work in progress defensively (and by work in progress, I mean just that. He’s a smart player that I believe can be passable long-term), what can we expect from Ellenson for the Pistons this season?
I think Ellenson’s role and minutes won’t deviate too much. I think Stan Van Gundy believes in him. The question is really can he continue to get shots, and hit them at a high percentage.
We only have one game of sample size so it’s obviously impossible to gauge. However, with Ish Smith’s play-making ability, and Langston Galloway’s scoring, teams are going to have to respect the Pistons’ guards. That’s exactly what happened against Charlotte, where Ellenson feasted against the Hornets.
I can’t recall one contested shot from opening night by Ellenson. I believe he will continue to get excellent looks all season so long as he continues to play with this nucleus of players.
It is for that reason, that I think we can expect a consistent dose of Ellenson this season for the Pistons. Can he continue to score double-digits? I would be a bit surprised, but considering the shots he’s getting and his ability, it also wouldn’t be an outcome that we can put to bed.
Next: Stanley Johnson and the confounding nature of the box score
Overall, I expect Ellenson to be an integral part to the Pistons’ bench moving forward.