Twitter questions Thursday: Detroit Pistons mailbag 3.0

The Detroit Pistons are two games in to preseason play, which has led to several questions regarding the roster, minutes and others’ play.

If anyone is concerned about the Detroit Pistons being 1-1 through two games of the preseason slate, they’re missing the big picture. There are plenty of battles happening within those preseason games that are drawing the ire of fans.

Of course, the fight for the 15th roster spot is as hot of a topic as any. Christian Wood has seemingly solidified himself as a lock for the Pistons roster, at least in the eyes of their fans. But that leaves more questions than answers as it pertains to the roster.

There are several battles within the rotation that could see who gets increased minutes. Two games is a small sample size but enough to start drawing some conclusions.

Hopefully this week’s mailbag provides some clarity, or at least options of what the Pistons can do moving forward.

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions for this week’s Twitter questions Thursday. Feel free to leave questions in the comments section for next week’s mailbag.

Trusting ownership keeps Wood

On media day it seemed as though Wood would be the odd man out of the Pistons roster. However that was for the Joe Johnson-Wood “battle” that many perceived the spot would be decided between. All along I’ve thought both would make the roster as opposed to it being whoever outperforms the other.

The plethora of undersized guards is one thing that draws my attention. Reggie Jackson, Derrick Rose and Tim Frazier all have guaranteed contracts and are point guards. But Langston Galloway and Khyri Thomas are undersized two guards. That was one of the training camp battles I was focusing on, more or less because that’s where I see a cut being made if Johnson and Wood are both kept.

I totally understand why Pistons fans are concerned about this. Wood has shined in his two preseason games. He’s averaging 12 points and 7.5 rebounds in 14 minutes per game. His efficiency is most remarkable, scoring 24 points on 11 shots. He’s a proven free throw shooter, connecting on 9-of-11 such attempts.

It would be a travesty if Wood gets cut or traded. His athletic ability is exactly what the Pistons need to create a versatile frontcourt off the bench.

The one thing that is noticeable is he doesn’t quite look the part defensively. He has some growing to do there, which is why Dwane Casey, Ed Stefanski and Co. may consider keeping Thon Maker, too.

Who gets cut for Wood?

This is a two-part questions so I’ll address it as such. As previously mentioned, it does seem like a wing gets cut but one of the undersized guys.

It’s beginning to become a broken record on my end because I don’t see the value in keeping Thomas around given the way the roster is constructed. Through the two preseason games, he has taken three shots in eight minutes, nailing the only triple attempted, and has a -15 net rating. It’s hard to say much because of his limited minutes but he didn’t perform well last season as a rookie and he’s far down on the depth chart.

Galloway can provide legitimate NBA minutes this season and help this team. His inconsistencies are bothersome, but that’s the life of a 3-point shooter. People will point to his 30 percent efficiency in preseason but he’s missed twice from inside the arc and is 3-for-8 (37.5 percent) from 3-point range. He’s also played 29 minutes and has a -3 net rating.

It is crazy to release Galloway outright. Detroit would be on the hook for $7 million when that contract is a valuable trade asset, even if the 2020 free agent class isn’t as desirable.

The other possibility is Maker could be cut or traded away. That’s if Casey is set on keeping four bigs and that’s it. Though I’d caution against that given Blake Griffin’s injury history.

Drummond’s evolution

Andre Drummond said that he improved his ball-handling this summer and that has been a loud improvement through the first two games. Monday’s most impressive play, aside from Wood’s dunk, was Drummond taking his man from the 3-point line to the paint and getting an easy bucket. Not easy for a 6-foot-11, 279-pound man.

Passing is sometimes something that goes unnoticed and doesn’t earn a lot of praise. In Stan Van Gundy’s final season, Drummond truly showed his passing ability, primarily out of dribble handoffs through Horns sets. But Wednesday was different. He showed incredible court vision and awareness of his shooters, using sound judgement of when to bully the post and kick out. Spyros Papadakos had some great videos of Drummond in the “stock up” portion of our Stock Exchange recapping the game.

His footwork has been impressive to get good post position. Drummond’s two games have been incredibly encouraging, which will go overlooked because of the errant 3-pointer he took early in Monday’s game.

Kennard’s volume

Volume isn’t the most important factor right now. Luke Kennard has taken 16 shots in 46 minutes. He’s shown his aggression in taking shots, awareness in the quality of shots he’s taking and is reaping the benefits. He’s 8-for-16 from the floor and 7-for-12 (58.3 percent) from 3-point range.

There’s been plenty of debate on whether Kennard is a better fit for the starting rotation or coming off the bench. Last year’s numbers showed he’s more effective playing with Griffin on the bench. Wednesday night showed he can play effectively alongside Derrick Rose. It’s a tricky situation but there will be instances when he plays with the starters.

Like I said last week, I think running Horns and dribble handoff sets similarly to how Kennard ran them at Duke would be wildly efficient at getting him scoring touches alongside Griffin and Drummond. It would value his skillset far more than being a knockdown shooter.

All in all, I think this is something that needs to be reassessed with a larger sample size and when meaningful basketball rolls around on Oct. 23rd.

Trades?

At this point, anything is likely on the table. We’ve written plenty on potential packages for both as well. Since both our expiring contracts, nothing can be ruled out. If the Pistons have a slow start, they may seek to maximize their value by trading two of their most valuable assets. Here are a few articles that take a look at potential trade packages.

Pistons health

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I’d take the over and not think twice about it. That’s also why I’m not a gambler. But if the Pistons are committed to load management, as they said at media days, then there are opportunities for all of the aforementioned players to sit.

While Joe Johnson seemingly makes the Pistons roster, will he be able to handle a full 82-game slate? He most recently played 78 games in the 2016-17 season. Nevermind that fact but how much playing time does he truly get? Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk has been impressive in training camp and preseason. He seems to have earned Casey’s trust, too.

With an increased look at resting players, it’s possible Jackson and Rose both miss roughly 10-15 games, and that’s if they stay healthy all season.

There are so many factors we could get into but due to load management, the over seems like a safe bet.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by. Remember to leave a question for next week’s mailbag in the comments section.