Dwane Casey has built a pretty impressive resume with his ability to develop players. Which member of the Detroit Pistons will take the next step in their career?
Under Dwane Casey’s leadership in Toronto, players such as DeMar Derozan, Kyle Lowry, and Jonas Valanciunas (to name a few) have statistically improved each year. They became focal points in their team’s success.
So, which Detroit Pistons’ player will flourish under Casey?
Stanley Johnson. Here are three reasons why Johnson’s game will improve, and why he’s my pick to take the biggest step forward.
1. Utilization
The main reason why I see Johnson making a tremendous leap this year will be the way he is utilized.
In the Stan Van Gundy era, you saw him a lot on the perimeter. Coming out of college, one of Johnson’s biggest knocks was his outside shooting. So, you put a player out there whose biggest weakness is perimeter shooting, but still expect him to produce?
That can only result in bad things, or ineffectiveness. His biggest assets are his size and power. That allowed him to flourish at Arizona, and essentially made him a lottery pick.
In college, Johnson did most of his damage in the paint and driving to the basket. Casey will utilize his strength by having the lanes open up more often, allowing him to post, drive, and attack his defender.
If Casey can have Johnson channel his Arizona days, watch out. Because he’s a load when he puts his head down and drives to the basket. Which, in return, gives him more space to get his jumper off.
2. Defense
The second reason why Stanley Johnson will make the biggest jump of any Piston on the roster is his defensive prowess.
Johnson’s size, power, and foot speed allow him to be a sticky defender. He’s able to bang with physical specimens such as LeBron James.
It’s also why Casey mentioned in one of his interviews that having a player like Stanley Johnson is important, because from a physical standpoint, he can stay with a guy like James who is so physical imposing.
He wasn’t lying either. I remember in the playoff series against Cleveland, Stanley did an admirable job of not being physically dominated by James throughout the series.
With Casey being known for developing great team defense in Toronto, Johnson will be the standout defender on the Detroit Pistons’ roster. His steal totals and defensive efficiency should skyrocket under Casey’s tutelage.
3. Coaching staff
The third and final reason why I believe Stanley Johnson will make the jump we all expect him to make is thanks to the staff that Casey has hired.
Assistant coach Tim Grgurichho has a wealth of experience, and comes in highly recommended. He is known for his amazing work on developing players defensively, which, as I mentioned earlier, is already one of Johnson’s strengths.
Grgurich will only improve facets of his game to make Johnson even more dangerous as a defender. Does anybody remember “The Glove” (Gary Payton)? Well, Payton credits Grgurich with changing his mentality, and helping him become dominant on the defensive end.
If he can help Stanley channel some of that Glove defensive mentality, boy, I can only imagine how tough Johnson will be for opposing offensive players.
Another coach that will fly under the radar, but have a tremendous impact, is D.J. Bakker. He’s coming from Toronto, and already has chemistry with Casey. Bakker was instrumental in developing the players that the Raptors had coming off the bench, which made them one of the top bench units in the league.
Better coaching and a better supporting cast of assistants will allow Johnson to reach the potential we’ve all been waiting to see.
Taking all things into consideration, the departure of LeBron James, the lack of powerhouse teams in the East, and a new regime change, who on the Detroit Pistons do you see making tremendous strides in the 2018-19 NBA season?
Comment and explain your rationale below. Do you agree with the Stanley Johnson take, or do you have another player in mind?