Diving into the Detroit Pistons small forward deficiencies

The Detroit Pistons small forward position is still a big question mark on the roster, even after the Joe Johnson signing.

Joe Johnson brings some depth and insurance to the Detroit Pistons roster entering training camp but there are still deficiencies to sort through.

After all, there’s no guarantee that Johnson makes the final roster since his contract is partially-guaranteed. Given the nature of how young the Pistons are, especially on the wing, his veteran presence would be useful.

Players need to get experience at some point. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk got a full offseason to learn under Dwane Casey and enter his second year with a great opportunity. He was a 3-point marksman in college but struggled in his rookie season. But Casey’s offense shoots a lot of three’s and that’s a bonus for Mykhailiuk.

There is still a question of if he can consistently defend a wing player. At 6-foot-8, he has the size to play on the wing but his wingspan is only 6-foot-5. But Casey is high on the former Jayhawk, saying in March that he could envision Mykhailiuk as a point guard.

He is next up to play behind newly-acquired Tony Snell, in a trade that no Pistons fans saw coming. They dealt Jon Leuer, who struggled with injury issues to hold a spot in the rotation, for Snell and the No. 30 pick in the draft.

Snell’s 3-and-D presence will be a welcome sight for Pistons fans after not having a small forward on the roster after the trade deadline last season. But just how good is he?

His first two years with the Milwaukee Bucks he was a starter and shot 40.6 and 40.3 percent, respectively, from 3-point range. With consistent minutes and a consistent role, that should hold true to form. Even with a rotational role last year and a minutes decrease, he proved his rhythm by converting 39.8 percent of 3-point attempts.

The defensive metrics don’t point to Snell’s benefit as a plus defender. His net rating in his two seasons as a starter was a wash and last year, off the bench, it was plus-10, which may have more to do with the depth of the Bucks last season.

A further look shows that he contributed more defensively off the bench than in a starting role, with 1.6 defensive win shares last season in roughly 10 minutes less per game than when he started.

Perhaps the best metric for measuring defense is the eye test, which the sports world cringes at due to an increased emphasis on analytics.

It’s hard to imagine Sekou Doumbouya getting a large share of minutes. The 18-year-old rookie from France (though born in Guinea) is an athletic specimen at 6-foot-9 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan. His ceiling is untapped with many comparisons to Giannis Antetokounmpo or Pascal Siakam, who Casey helped develop and blossomed as a star last season.

He played 13 minutes in the NBA Summer League before sitting out the rest of competition as a precaution with hamstring issues. It’s hard to say if he is prepared for the speed and strength of the NBA. There will certainly be an adjustment period.

He has a strong perimeter shot and will be a versatile defender, giving him the potential to develop into a two-way star. But that’s several years down the road where he’ll need time to develop. Part of development is earning minutes, so he’s sure to see some. They didn’t spend a first round pick on him for him not to get minutes.

But the reality is that he likely won’t get a lot of time unless injuries become an issue.

Then there’s ISO Joe. He’s played 17 years in the NBA and was a seven-time All-Star in his prime. He wasn’t great in his final years, last playing for the Jazz and Rockets during the 2017-18 season, but wasn’t satisfied with going out without a contract.

He turned to the Big3, a 3-on-3 basketball league made up mostly of former NBA players, and had a MVP-winning season. Walking away with a championship, he earned three NBA tryouts and ultimately landed with the Pistons.

Johnson still has to earn a roster spot, signing with a partially-guaranteed contract, but is a former client of Vice Chairman Arn Tellem and has a great relationship with Casey. His veteran leadership will bode well for a Pistons roster that has an average age of 25.6, including the 14 guaranteed contracts only.

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Surely he’s in great shape but having been away from fullcourt basketball against players much younger and more athletic than him is a vast change from league that helped him get back to the NBA.

The reality is that he’s a safety net and provides depth. If he’s impressive and proves he can hold his own, he may end up with a nice spot in the rotation. But there’s more of an incentive to let the younger players grow.

Casey will have his hands full figuring out what to do with the small forward position, clearly the biggest weakness on the roster. Snell appears to be a quality two-way player that the Pistons haven’t seen for several years. Beyond that, there are more questions than answers.

It may cause Casey to experiment with different rotations. Perhaps Luke Kennard and Bruce Brown get minutes at the three in a small-ball rotation, or even a regular rotational spot. Then there’s the possibility of Blake Griffin or Markieff Morris sliding down in a larger rotation. Though there may be bigger issues if that becomes a regular occurrence as opposed to matchup-based.

Detroit is in an interesting position and will need to find some clarity in training camp and by the All-Star break if they hope to improve on last season’s performance.