Do the Detroit Pistons really need 7 centers?
Jerami Grant might be Detroit Pistons best center?
During the press conference to introduce all the draft picks, the topic of versatility came up, since No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham is known for his versatility. During the discussion, Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey mentioned the possibility of Jerami Grant, who played exclusively forward in his first year with the team, seeing some time as a small-ball center.
Grant is 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds, a little light for a center. But he has had success guarding big guys. His defense of the Lakers’ Anthony Davis in the 2020 Western Conference finals was widely praised.
Would you want Grant spending his time banging inside with powerful big guys like Joel Embiid or his old Nuggets teammate, Nikola Jokic? Probably not. But outside of the elite low-post centers, Grant could probably hold his own.
Related Story. Detroit Pistons: Troy Weaver likes ‘Bad Boys’ who are Boy Scouts. light
So this is why we include Grant among the Pistons list of centers.
Of the three centers currently under contract, Grant would be the only one who has a track record of hitting from outside. With Cunningham a dangerous slasher to the basket, Casey will probably want his center(s) to look to hunt three-pointers more often than last year. Plumlee, Stewart and Okafor mostly scored close to the basket as three-point shooting was not their thing.
The draftees have obviously gotten the message, that they better show up for Summer League able to hit 3s.
Here is Luka Garza:
Dear Detroit,
— Frank Garza.eth (@frankgarza57) August 1, 2021
Allow me to share with you the 3pt marksman you've drafted.
Luka is beyond grateful for the opportunity to be a Piston & will do all that he can to contribute & represent as we're not just in it for ourselves, we're in it for the ENTIRE 313. 🦚 @detroitbadboys pic.twitter.com/cWI1nXiEmG
And Balsa Koprivica is also working hard on his three-ball. Looking good.:
https://twitter.com/Pistons__Talk/status/1421581091111047172
Olynyk is a good outside shooter but Noel is strictly an inside scorer. Dunks and short jumpers are Noel’s forte on offense.
So, if Detroit actually carried all seven on its roster and had to play an NBA game today, Grant and Olynyk are the only players who can play center, that coach Casey could count on to consistently hit shots from beyond the arc. And both are more natural at forward (Grant was the Pistons small forward until the Blake Griffin trade).
So, with all this height, what would the Pistons do, and why would they want this many bigs to begin with?