Last season, the Detroit Pistons got unexpected contributions from two-way player Daniss Jenkins, who eventually got himself a full-time contract.
Jenkins got his shot after some early injuries, and he made the most of it, which is one of the reasons the Pistons were able to trade Jaden Ivey without missing a beat.
Finding players like Jenkins is a huge advantage in the Tax Apron era, when every dollar counts and cheap impact is a must.
The Pistons have another developmental success story brewing with Tolu Smith, who may get his chance to be this year’s Daniss Jenkins.
Tolu Smith has a couple of real NBA skills
Tolu Smith has next to zero offensive game, but he has shown in the preseason (and in his brief minutes last year) that he can do one thing very well, which is rebound the basketball.
Smith had 13 rebounds in just 16 minutes against the Wizards, including eight offensive rebounds. You don’t need to have much of an offensive game if you are going to put up those kinds of numbers, as Smith gave the Pistons a ton of extra shots.
Can he shoot? No.
Can he catch the ball in traffic? Oh no.
But Smith can grab boards and is very good around the rim on both ends. He’s got active hands for blocks and steals and when he gets the ball around the rim, he usually finishes with a dunk, which is about the limit of his offensive game.
Tolu Smith is an NBA rebounder and screen setter, but not much else, which is fine for a third center, but as we’ve seen over the last few seasons, he may be called upon more than expected.
Tolu Smith will play this season
Last year, Paul Reed was the third center, and he ended up playing in 65 games. Reed is a much better player overall than Smith, so it’s doubtful Smith sees that much time, but throughout the course of the season, he will get some run as the third center.
Daniss Jenkins was in a similar spot on the depth chart last season and that changed quickly, so don’t be surprised if Smith ends up being important in the regular season at some point, whether it’s an injury or someone in foul trouble.
The Pistons had a success story last season with Daniss Jenkins and Tolu Smith could be the next two-way guy to end up making an impact.
Add us as a preferred source on Google