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Detroit Pistons: Which rookie will get the most playing time?

By Travis Gibbs

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: Khyri Thomas #13 of the Detroit Pistons goes to the basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 9, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: Khyri Thomas #13 of the Detroit Pistons goes to the basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 9, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Detroit Pistons have three rookies on their 2018 roster. Which of them will see actual minutes on the floor this upcoming season?

During the summer league, the Detroit Pistons had a lot of young players perform very well. A couple of those guys happened to be newly acquired talent from the NBA draft in June.

There are some things to consider. What position(s) will they end up playing? There’s also a new head coach in town. What style of play will Dwane Casey emphasize?

Will there even be a lot of minutes up for grabs? There should be. A lot of players on this roster still have a lot of prove before receiving significant amounts of time on the floor.

Let’s take a look at each rookie.

Khyri Thomas

Thomas will get the most minutes out of any rookie on the Detroit Pistons roster. There a few reasons why.

Thomas will likely spend most of his time on the court playing shooting guard. The other three shooting guards are Reggie Bullock, Langston Galloway, and Luke Kennard.

With the small forward position being thin, Bullock will likely get more minutes there because of his size and ability.

Related Story: Detroit Pistons rookie Khyri Thomas proving his worth early on

Realistically, Thomas will be competing for minutes against Galloway and Kennard. Galloway is coming off a season to forget. Kennard showed some promise but by no means solidified 25-30 minutes a night.

Thomas will get minutes because of the way he plays the game. He plays within his boundaries and he showed it countless times in the summer league.

Thomas plays superior perimeter defense and can shoot the ball from long range. Those things are very valuable to have on the floor.

Bruce Brown

Brown is an intriguing figure. He showed in the summer league that he can play up to three different positions. In the last couple of games, he was bringing the ball up the floor at the point guard position.

That position on the Detroit Pistons’ roster has been their Achilles heel for the last two seasons mainly due to health concerns. One of his former college coaches believes that’s where he’ll play in the NBA.

In a piece from the Detroit Free Press, Jim Larranaga spoke about Brown’s ability.

"“The more I observed him and evaluated him, the more I realized his long-term potential is really as a point guard,” Larranaga told the Free Press on Monday. “I think he’s going to be a point guard in the NBA.“He makes good decisions. He can guard all different kinds of positions cause of his size, speed, athletic ability and toughness. I think in the NBA everybody likes to switch, I don’t think he’ll have any problem switching on to a bigger player.”"

Brown did have an up and down summer league. In order for him to get more minutes than the other rookies he will have to learn how to finish at the rim and shoot the ball more consistently.

There’s a bright future for Brown because of his versatility.

Keenan Evans

Evans was a force to be reckoned with at Texas Tech playing the point guard position. He’s another guy that has a lot of upside at this level.

Evans is a natural scorer. He gets to the rim with ease but will have to work on his outside shot. Evans shot just 32 percent from three-point range. This is a guy who could see some minutes because of what was talked about with the point guard position.

If Reggie Jackson goes down, Ish Smith and Jose Calderon will be the two to step in his place and be efficient floor generals. Once the team starts to slide downhill, coach Casey will likely give a guy like Evans a good look.

Evans went undrafted because of a foot injury he suffered late in the season last year. Overall, it’s very likely he’ll see the least amount of minutes among the three rookies.

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