The Detroit Pistons started Bruce Brown in place of Luke Kennard in their game against the Washington Wizards. Should Brown continue start moving forward?
Dwane Casey and the Detroit Pistons have been searching for the right surrounding pieces for Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond in the starting lineup.
We’ve seen Stanley Johnson.
We’ve seen Glenn Robinson III.
We’ve seen Luke Kennard.
And now, we’re seeing Bruce Brown get his turn.
Reggie Bullock has been the lone staple on the wing, when he’s healthy of course. Finding his partner, however, on the wing has been an on-going issue all year.
Kennard has been the fan favorite for the opposite wing starting spot, and it’s completely understandable. The Pistons desperately need some outside shooting, as they are 28th in the league in three point shooting at 30 percent.
In Kennard’s seven starts, he’s shooting 40 percent from three on four attempts a game, which is exactly what the Pistons need.
The reason for Kennard’s benching is because of his recent struggles. In his last four starts, he is shooting 15 percent from the field and 16 percent from beyond the arc on three attempts a game.
Obviously that’s awful, but Kennard’s respected shooting ability in it of itself gives Griffin and Drummond space to play.
That’s why the move for Brown to start surprised many Pistons followers.
But, could this move actually be the right button to press by Casey?
Brown is a much better defender than Kennard, as he’s been called upon to guard some of the elite guards in the NBA. Among those he has guarded have been James Harden, Stephen Curry, and John Wall.
But, with the team lacking so much in shooting, you’d figure that shooting would be the route for the team to go.
Well, for what it’s worth, Brown is now shooting 36 percent from three over the 17 games. It’s only on 1.3 attempts a game, but still that’s pretty shocking for a guy people have said struggle hitting threes in warm-ups.
In Brown’s start against the Wizards, the offense had an added element due to his energy.
While defenses don’t respect Brown’s range at all, Brown understands how to make himself at least a part of the offense.
Brown is one of the best, if not the best, cutter on the team. Brown’s cuts to the rim create easy buckets for him at the basket, and it forces defenses to react to him puncturing the defense and could lead to open threes beyond the arc.
With Brown on the floor, the ball movement also gets much better. While Brown has flashed potential as a point guard and some skills in the pick and roll, but he is very raw on offense.
The good thing for the Detroit Pistons is that Brown comprehends he isn’t that much of an offensive player, and in result, he moves the ball very quickly.
While Griffin has been a great player for the Detroit Pistons, playing to his game does lead to ball stopping and his teammates standing around watching. With Brown in the starting lineup, he helps both those issues.
Whether he helps those issues so much more then Kennard would help the shooting issue is highly questionable.
And to be fair, Casey did say after the game that this starting lineup did have a little to do with match-up. He didn’t close the door on this starting lineup continuing, but still.
If Casey continues to start Brown, Detroit Pistons fans will find out whether it’s sustainable or not.
The starting lineup will continue to be a topic to discuss throughout the season, but one thing is for sure.
Luke Kennard should never be completely out the rotation.
Ever.
Brown starting over Kennard is questionable enough, but keeping Kennard out the rotation completely just is not smart at all.
Do you guys believe Brown should start?
Does Brown fit the starting lineup more than Kennard does?