How the Detroit Pistons can stay afloat until Blake Griffin returns

The replacement

Last year, when Griffin was out the Pistons had to replace him with either Stanley Johnson, Jon Leuer or later in the season, Thon Maker. The difference between those players and Markieff Morris is stark.

First of all, Morris can shoot. Over the last three years, he shot 36.2 percent, 36.7 percent and 33.5 percent on three’s, with some injuries bugging him last year. At the same time, he shot 83.7 percent, 82 percent and 77.2 percent from the free-throw line, showing that he has more shooting touch than his career 3-point percentage suggests.

He’s also raised his 3-point attempts from 4 to 7.5 per 100 possessions. Morris is a solid pick-and-pop threat. He’s not going to torch opponents to a point where they have to change their defensive coverage but he can keep the defense honest. That’s a big upgrade from Maker.

And he’ll keep the offense flowing smoothly from one action to the next. He can run dribble handoffs and either roll to the rim or pop to the 3-point line. He’s a ball mover and a versatile offensive player. He might not be elite at one thing but he can do multiple things.

He’s actually one of those players that like to shoot it above the break instead of the corner and that’s where he’s at his best. That bodes well with the Pistons scheme.

Griffin shot a majority of his 3-point attempts above the break last year. Dwane Casey can easily plug Morris in place of Griffin in already existing sets.

And he’s not just a spot-up player. You can’t put smaller defenders on him. On switches, he can post up with efficiency and get quality looks. He’s tough and he’s a skillful player with shooting touch.

On defense, he’s definitely an upgrade from Griffin, which isn’t saying much. He’s strong and can defend the post but most importantly he’s a better perimeter defender. Morris is pretty mobile for a player his size and his mentality makes him stand out.

He has the same attitude on defense that his brother, Marcus Morris, had in Detroit. He just hates getting scored on. Three-point shooting marksmen are still going to give him trouble but he can kind of closeout and stay with them on drives.

In the first 10 games, I like the matchups against Domantas Sabonis, John Collins, Al Horford, Rui Hachimura and Julius Randle. Those are good matchups for Morris physically. I’m more afraid about Lauri Markkanen and Rodions Kurucs lighting up from three.

Morris brings to the table what the Pistons seriously lacked last season, a player that can plug and play in Griffin’s absence without turning the team into one of the league’s worst. However, he can’t replace Griffin’s offensive production.

Morris is a 20 percent usage player while Griffin is a 30 percent one. The Pistons will have to find that in other positions.