Efficiency
Kennard should start. That was true without Griffin and it’s still true now that he’s back. Kennard is in the starting lineup to make up for the loss of Jackson. He has performed pretty well so far as a starter and I don’t see a legitimate reason to take him out of the lineup.
The only argument for not starting him was to build chemistry with the second unit but we don’t know how long Jackson will be out and we don’t know how long Rose will be out. So, that’s out the door.
Between Galloway and Brown, there’s no clear option. Putting Kennard, Galloway, and Snell with Griffin and Drummond just has too much offensive potential not to give it a go. There’s a big chance that lineup will just shoot lights out and create big leads right from the get-go.
Galloway isn’t a player that can create separation with his dribble, so to pair him with great screen setters and passing big men like Griffin and Drummond is to maximize his skill set. Pairing him with Thon Maker or Christian Wood, not so much.
That lineup shouldn’t be too bad on defense either. Galloway can handle primary ball-handlers to a degree where he’ll at least be on them when they shoot, even if they can shoot over him. Drummond has been fantastic, so hopefully, he’ll keep carrying the team on that end.
However, I can see Brown sliding in early in games against certain matchups. There just are some games where an opposing guard starts red hot and Brown could be a defensive stopper off the bench when needed.
There are also some teams that have too much length on the perimeter. Casey won’t change lineups game to game according to matchups so don’t expect that to happen.
Brown could prove to be a serviceable backup point guard until Rose comes back. Maybe against lesser competition, he’ll actually be effective as a ball-handler. He’s definitely had flashes this year against lesser teams. Especially against teams that don’t have elite rim protectors.
His biggest strength on offense is attacking the rim, so against bench units, which are usually smaller, his efficiency will probably rise. With Markieff Morris getting back to the bench they can form an efficient pick & pop duo.
More from PistonPowered
- Which Detroit Pistons could save Team USA in the Olympics?
- Detroit Pistons could have major roster churn after 2023-24 season
- The best Detroit Pistons to wear each uniform number
- Full Detroit Pistons NBA 2K24 ratings
- Detroit Pistons: Who will sign the remaining NBA free agents?
If Wood gets the backup minutes, Brown can thrive in a five-out system where he has tons of space to attack. If Maker gets the nod, offense will be hard to create out of Brown-Maker actions. There’s always the chance that Casey goes with a three big men rotation and neither Wood or Maker get regular minutes. It will be interesting to see.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk should be pretty effective against benches too, so I’m not worried about the bench missing either Galloway or Kennard. A lineup of Rose, Brown, Mykhailiuk, Morris and Wood should be pretty effective until Jackson comes back, especially if you throw another starter in there.
Against benches, there’s no ceiling to Brown’s defensive impact as well. He can be extremely disruptive in a lineup that desperately needs him to be. There’s not much defense in that second unit and benches usually have one or two guys that can cause damage. Brown can stop that guy.
We should look at lineup data with a grain of salt but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look. These are the relevant four-man lineups for this season and last season:
This season
A. Drummond, .T. Snell, .L. Kennard, .B. Brown: 81 minutes, net rating of 0.3
A. Drummond, .T. Snell, .L. Galloway, .L. Kennard: 33 minutes, net rating of 22.9
A. Drummond, .T. Snell, .L. Galloway, .B. Brown: 21 minutes, net rating 11.8
Last season
B. Griffin, .A. Drummond, .L. Galloway, .L. Kennard: 155 minutes, net rating of 25.6
B. Griffin, .A. Drummond, .L. Kennard, .B. Brown: 80 minutes, net rating of -23.0
B. Griffin, .A. Drummond, .L. Galloway, .B. Brown: 70 minutes, net rating of -1.3
It will be really exciting to see what Griffin’s impact will be from now on. No matter who starts, we’ll definitely see some really good closing lineups. They will probably be great 3-point shooting lineups.
That’s where the Pistons roster strength lies right now and the coaching staff should take advantage. Having Griffin late in the game shifts the whole dynamic of the team and close games will look much different from now on.