Tobias Harris had to sit last night with an ankle injury, which had some wondering if we’d finally get a look at second-year player Bobi Klintman.
Instead, coach JB Bickerstaff started Isaiah Stewart (who was brilliant) at power forward and used Paul Reed sparingly off the bench, so Klintman stayed where he’s been for most of his career, which is sitting on the pine.
It may be harsh to call Klintman a “bust,” as he was a second-round pick, a project that we knew would take some time to develop. It's not like he was a lottery pick the Pistons expected to play right away.
But given the Pistons’ injuries and lack of depth at power forward, you’d think Klintman might have seen some action this season, but thus far, he’s played just seven minutes of mop-up duty.
Even with depth issues, Klintman can’t get off the bench, so is it time to write him off? Not yet.
Bobi Klintman: Second-round picks are true projects these days
The Pistons have had a hard time finding talent in the second round of the draft over recent years, and it’s been some time since they have hit on a guy outside of the first round.
It’s a huge advantage for teams to find players in the second round or as undrafted free agents, as they have the lowest salaries in the league, which is important under the new tax rules. If you can have an impact player on a minimum deal, it helps balance out the big salaries at the top of the payroll and makes it easier to build a deep roster.
But finding them is going to be increasingly difficult, as Trajan Langdon spoke about, as the NIL money is keeping some later picks in college longer, as they can bank serious money that might not be waiting for them in the NBA.
This has led to some thin draft classes the last few seasons, which seems impossible given the sheer amount of talent that now exists around the world. We are going to see more international professionals (like Klintman) get picked as NCAA players increasingly spend more time in college instead of risking their chances in the Draft.
With Tobias Harris on an expiring deal and no other real power forward on the roster (though Beef Stew is making his case), it would have been nice to hit on Klintman, and who knows, maybe he will eventually end up being a productive player.
But it’s not a good sign that he can’t get off the bench even with the Pistons dealing with injuries at a position where they already have too little depth. If Harris has to miss a few games, it will be interesting to see if coach Bickerstaff trusts Klintman enough to give him some minutes. If not, we could see him moved as a sweetener in a trade later in the season.