Should the Detroit Pistons re-unite with this former draft pick?

It’s no secret that the Detroit Pistons are down big right now, and it is likely to get worse before it gets better.

They are mired in a lengthy losing streak and still on the road where they haven’t won. They are missing three starters and have no idea when Cade Cunningham is going to return.

Even before all of the injuries the Pistons were struggling mightily, with a scoring margin that is reminiscent of the “Process” Sixers, which is not where they were hoping to be after declaring that the team goal was to be competitive this season.

In other words, the Detroit Pistons are desperate, but are they desperate enough to bring back a former player who is now out of the league?

In a recent twitter Q&A, former 8th pick Stanley Johnson was asked what he thought about the current Pistons and hinted that he’d love to return:

Of course, when you are sitting at home without a job, I’m sure you’d be eager to join any team, but the Pistons seem like one of the few that could actually use him, so should they say “why not?” and bring back the Stanimal?

Should the Detroit Pistons bring back Stanley Johnson?

Johnson is currently out of the NBA, which is surprising considering that he is somehow still only 26-years-old after being drafted all the way back in 2015.

He’d make almost any list of Pistons’ draft busts, though he did have his moments for Detroit, including when he was briefly the “LeBron Stopper” (hahah) as Detroit was being swept in the first round of the playoffs against Cleveland in his rookie season.

Johnson had huge potential as a big  two-way wing when he was 19, but has since proven that he can’t shoot or do much of anything offensively. He’s always been a good defender who can guard multiple positions and the Pistons currently have the worst defense in the league and pretty much no one on the wing who can get a stop.

I’m at the point this season where my response to this is “Why the hell not?” Johnson might actually be able to make the rotation with all of these guys out, and he couldn’t hurt the defense which is currently 29th in the NBA.

If nothing else, he’d be a cheap addition that would cost them little in terms of money or assets, and it would be a nice story that would give fans a reason to tune in.

Also, he wasn’t bad for the Lakers last year in the 48 games he played, as he did log his highest shooting percentage, knocking down 57.5 percent from 2-point range.

Do I think Stanley Johnson would make a difference? Probably not. But he couldn’t hurt and it would be a great story, so again, “why the hell not?”