According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Detroit Pistons have signed Javonte Green to a one-year deal, giving Cade Cunningham his own potential version of Aaron Gordon. Obviously, Green is not at the same level as Gordon, and Cunningham isn’t anywhere close to Nikola Jokic, but he could provide the Pistons with a similar skill set.
Green is a freak athlete who is great at cutting off the ball. He should give Cunningham and the Pistons a very unique lob threat heading into next season, which they could utilize to diversify their offense from the normal three-point floor spacing, which will be used most of the time.
That is, if he gets the chance.
How can Javonte Green help the Pistons?
Up to this point in his career, Green hasn’t been able to stick with any team he’s been a part of, jumping from organization to organization. But there’s a reason he keeps getting more chances.
As noted, Green is an elite athlete, capable of playing way above the rim despite his size (6-foot-5). That will give him the chance to play a very cool role in the Pistons’ lineup, if JB Bickerstaff chooses to deploy him as such.
Depending on the lineup, Green can probably play anywhere from the shooting guard to the power forward position. Obviously, he’d be a very undersized four, but if the Pistons roll with Ausar Thompson or Ron Holland II at the three, it could work.
From there, Green would be able to do a few fun things for the Pistons on offense, all revolving around his ability to cut to the rim.
With Cunningham running the show, the Pistons have an elite playmaker on board. He’s capable of creating his own gravity and, from there, setting up his teammates.
Green is a capable three-point shooter, much like Gordon is for Denver, but he’s not great from distance. That’s where his cutting ability comes into play.
When Jokic has the ball in his hands, defenders swarm to him, leaving Gordon with plenty of space to cut to the rim. Rather than standing and waiting at the three-point line, Gordon fills the space and uses his elite athleticism to finish lobs around the rim.
Green can do that for Cunningham. Once Cunningham gets downhill, defenders will flock to him, leaving Green space to cut. That’s where he thrives.
Though he’s not the same level of defender, or player in general, that Gordon is, Green can play a similar role. And that should help give a nice bit of diversity to the Pistons’ offense (and give Cunningham a new weapon to utilize).