Detroit Pistons 2019-20 rotation questions that need to be answered
The Detroit Pistons roster comes with no shortage of question marks. The coaching staff will have to test out different lineups and figure out which work.
The doldrums are here and they are strong. The drama of free agency has quieted down and people’s interest has shifted towards pick up games and workouts. Thank God for the FIBA World Cup.
So, with training camp coming soon, let us look ahead and figure out what kind of questions the coaching staff will have to answer before and throughout the season.
This offseason saw the Detroit Pistons making some new additions without sacrificing much continuity. They kept the core intact and shook up the complementary pieces around them. The veterans gone will be missed in the locker room but hopefully, the front office acquired some upgrades.
They replaced Ish Smith with Derrick Rose and they traded Jon Leuer, who hadn’t played in a while, for Tony Snell, who’s proved to be a serviceable low-usage starter. They drafted another forward in Sekou Doumbouya and they actually expect him to contribute in his rookie year.
Related Story. Setting realistic expectations for Sekou Doumbouya. light
They also made some bold decisions with their frontcourt. They decided not to spend any money on another big center and instead went with more versatile small ball options like Markieff Morris, Michael Beasley and Christian Wood.
So, before we start formulating the questions here’s what we know for sure.
- Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond will get over 30 minutes per night as long as their healthy.
- Reggie Jackson and Snell will start and get over 25 minutes per game
- Luke Kennard may or may not start but will get more than 25 minutes per game
- Rose and Morris will be featured off the bench and get somewhere close to 20 mins
- There are three spots left for the 10-man rotation Casey likes to use
- Best candidates: Bruce Brown, Thon Maker and Langston Galloway
- Contenders: Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Khyri Thomas, Sekou Doumbouya, Wood and Beasley
- Tim Frazier will play when Rose or Jackson cannot
- Wood and Beasley will fight for that last roster spot unless another move is made
Let’s take a look at the starting lineup.