Detroit Pistons: Taking a look at the future backcourt
Shot distribution
Bruce Brown
Nearly 70 percent of Brown’s attempts last year came in the paint. So far in the 2019-2020 season, 75 percent of his shots are in the paint. And he takes no mid-range shots at all. It’s all layups, floaters and catch & shoot three-pointers for him.
The problem is that he was highly inefficient in all these areas last year. The sample so far is small and not that encouraging but there’s an evident improvement in the way he gets to the rim. His ball-handling is much better which allows him to get to the rim with ease.
Even if he never becomes an elite finisher at the rim, just the fact that he can get there at such a high rate is very promising. He has a leaning-forward stance and an explosive first step that allows him to get by his defender with ease.
That’s a good base to build more complex moves. He has displayed nice hesitation moves to freeze big men but he needs to add a little more flair with in-and-out moves and crossovers to really get opponents on their heels.
The one-step finish is really nice to see. Last year he started his drives far away from the rim which was a big reason why he couldn’t finish. He’s shown a big improvement in his footwork and extension on layups but he still hasn’t been efficient.
He still has a lot of room to grow. He needs to add more complex dribble moves and really get down the intricacies of how to bump an opponent before the finish to get them off balance. He has the strength to be a really good finisher in traffic but he needs to master the fundamentals.
In the play above, he’s gotten by Garrett Temple but doesn’t gain much of an advantage. Bumping the opponent with a subtle shoulder push and finishing with good extension goes a long way to raise efficiency at the rim. Brown has all the tools necessary to be great at that.
I just love when we run pick & rolls for him. The added screen from Derrick Rose to Myles Turner means that Rose’s man has to guard Brown with a full head of steam. It’s just a great play for speedy guards and Casey has put it to great use.
Kennard
On the other hand, over half of Kennard’s attempts come from three.
Kennard is an excellent three-point shooter and this year he’s come into the season with a scorer’s mentality. He’s shooting over six three-point attempts per game and making 46 percent. He’s showing that he can become one of the best shooters in the game.
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The Pistons have paired his shooting prowess with Rose’s driving game and it has worked really well. Rose’s threat to get to the rim opens up space for him on the perimeter. And Kennard has been extremely comfortable with making threes on the move.
Even when defenders start flying at him, he has a big bag of tricks to get rid of them. He can pump fake take a dribble or two and shoot a pull up or a step back. And when he has space in the corner he can sidestep for a wide-open pull-up. He makes this shot look like a practice shot. His shooting fundamentals are incredible.
When he is in a rhythm, his shot-making ability is through the roof. He can truly become an elite shot-maker and reach CJ McCollum or Damian Lillard levels of pull up shooting volume. If he does that he’ll open up more opportunities at the rim because of the attention he’ll draw far away from the basket.
And with opponents on his back, he can put them in jail, probe a bit and shoot all kinds of floaters and push shots with both hands. Kennard is a versatile offensive player and even though he lacks the length to finish over guys he has a way of always having them guessing.