Glenn Robinson III hasn’t had the season the Detroit Pistons had hoped he’d have, but will they still need him to play minutes come playoff time?
Since the All-Star break, the Detroit Pistons have continued their surge, winning 14 of their last 19 games. While many fans remain reluctant to buy in, the Pistons emergence into the sixth-seed of the Eastern Conference has been extremely fun, especially for those that have stuck with the team throughout the last decade.
At the deadline, dealing forwards Stanley Johnson and Reggie Bullock has opened minutes for Luke Kennard, Langston Galloway, and new addition Wayne Ellington. As a result, their 3-point shooting has been much improved, as well as their offense as a whole.
While their wing play has been solid as of late, it is tough to ignore the defensive limitations that their wings face. Kennard has been smart defensively but it still a touch slow, and while Kennard and Galloway lineups provide plenty of shooting, lineups featuring the two, as well as the starting lineup featuring Ellington at the small forward position remain undersized and incapable of defending bigger and offensively skilled wings.
This was highlighted in Monday night’s loss to the Cavaliers, where none of the perimeter players could stop any penetration, leading to the Cavs shooting over 58 percent from the field and exactly 50 percent from three.
That’s why Dwane Casey getting Glenn Robinson III back into the rotation could provide an important defensive boost come playoffs.
Casey’s playoff rotations
Last season, Casey’s Raptors took the one-seed in the conference, and defeated the Washington Wizards in six games in the first round. Casey used a rotation of primarily nine players, but decided to shift to ten guys by adding Fred VanVleet to the rotation in game six, when they took the series from the Wizards 4-2.
The next round went quickly, as it only took four games of LeBron James for the Eastern Conference Coach of the Year to lose his job, and for his Raptors to be sent home for the summer.
To begin their short lived series against the Cavaliers, Casey continued used his ten man rotation. After two losses at home, he plugged VanVleet into the starting lineup and used Serge Ibaka off of the bench, while sitting their young big man Jakob Poeltl, who was a defensive liability on the court. When that resulted in a 3-0 deficit, Casey opened up the rotation to 11 players.
Casey has not been afraid to make adjustments with his rotations in the playoffs, and that should continue this postseason. While the Pistons may not have the depth that Toronto had last year, they do have players that could find themselves in and out of the rotation, depending on the match-up.
Pistons Flexibility
Trading for Thon Maker gives the Pistons flexibility with their big men that they didn’t have early on. If Zaza Pachulia was too slow to guard a mobile opponent, before the deadline their only option off the bench was Jon Leuer, who isn’t necessarily “Flash” himself.
While Maker is too thin to play big minutes at the center position, he is still able to move his feet quick enough and block enough shots for him to be a viable option. Lineups without Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond have struggled a lot this season.
Putting together a lineup with Maker at center and without either of the star big men may be a death sentence, because the Detroit Pistons wings are small, and they moved their only guy that could defend opposing fours in Johnson.
That’s where Robinson III can step in.
Glenn’s season
When the Detroit Pistons added Robinson III this past summer, the reunion with the Michigan standout was met with a warm welcome. Many clamored for him to start right away, as his 3 & D abilities that he showed in limited minutes for Pacers would could’ve been a huge addition in two areas that the Detroit Pistons have struggled with.
In his last season with the Pacers, Robinson suffered an injury and only played in 23 games. However the 2016-17 season may be a better look at the potential Robinson III has to impact a team.
His 6’6” frame combined with his athleticism allowed him to defend other wings at a respectable level. Robinson III only averaged 6.1 points per game, but he spaced the floor well, shooting 39 percent from three, while playing 20 minutes per game.
This year with the Detroit Pistons, Robinson III has found himself in and out of the rotation. He has started 17 games but only played in 37, seeing less than 13 minutes per game. He has not been able to score at all, shooting the three below 30 percent. He has looked lost at times, struggling to make any impact on the offensive end.
After finding himself out of the regular rotation since December 9, Casey has put him back into the mix playing in eight of the last ten contests, where he is has logged at least nine minutes in six of those games. And although his minutes were limited, he posted a positive plus/minus rating in every single game that he played in over that stretch.
If Robinson III can find his shot, he can make enough of an impact defensively for this team to use him down the stretch and into the playoffs. Wayne Ellington is a very generous 6’5”, and regardless of their first round draw they will struggle defending large skilled forwards.
Whether it’s Bojan Bogdanovich, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Tobias Harris, or Jayson Tatum, the Pistons desperately need somebody to defend this position, and Robinson III might find his name being called come April.