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What will be Detroit Pistons starting lineup: Five options

By Stuart London

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 04: Dwane Casey head coach of the Detroit Pistons looks on in the first half against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on January 04, 2020 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 04: Dwane Casey head coach of the Detroit Pistons looks on in the first half against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on January 04, 2020 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Detroit Pistons
CLEVELAND, OHIO – JANUARY 07: Sekou Doumbouya #45 of the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Youth will be served

When Pistons special advisor Ed Stefanski was general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, after the team got off to a slow start, he ordered coach Maurice Cheeks to ‘play the kids’.

The kids were players like Andre Iguodala,  Kyle Korver, Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams. The 76ers made a surprise appearance in the NBA playoffs that season.

So the Pistons have institutional memory that going to a Youth Movement does not necessarily mean a pile of losses. Of course, if the young players are not very good, then you have a bunch of bad, inexperienced players on the floor. That will lead to a pile of losses.

Since Detroit is looking to the future, why not make a ‘The Future is now’ lineup. Roll out the kids and see what happens.

Youth starting lineup:

PF: Sekou Doumboya

SF: Saddiq Bey

C: Isaiah Stewart

PG: Killian Hayes

SG: Svi Mykhailiuk

This lineup features four rookies or second-year players plus ‘old man’ Mykhailuk, who is all of 23-years-old.

The Pistons would get a quick look at what they have in their recent first-round draft choices.

All five slot perfectly into their roles.  No one would have to play out of position or asked to do something they never have before.

If Detroit did go with this lineup to start, it would mean a bunch of players, who are being paid a lot of money, are sitting on the bench. Who wants to tell owner Tom Gores he is paying Blake Griffin $37 million and Jerami Grant $20 million for this season to be subs for a team probably not making the playoffs.

This is the lineup Casey could turn to if general manager Troy Weaver decides to trade all  the veterans away.

Would Milwaukee be shaking in its boots to face this lineup? Probably not. However, they might in about three years.

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