It wasn’t always pretty, but the Detroit Pistons notched their first win of the season, overcoming a 22-point deficit and a monster throw-back game from Paul George to defeat the Celtics.
In a contest full of star names, it was Javonte Green who changed the game, as the Pistons immediately went on a run when he entered and didn’t let up.
John Collins was getting blown by on switches all night, so head coach JB Bickerstaff turned to Javonte Green, who not only slowed down Paul George, but poured in 19 points of his own, hitting 5-of-8 from long range.
Green does what he always does, which is get his hands on the ball for deflections, but he also brought the 3-ball today and was a big reason the Pistons were able to complete the second-half comeback.
Green isn’t a star, but he’s a two-way role player who isn’t one dimensional, which is why he has an early advantage over Ron Holland II.
Javonte Green adds shooting that the Pistons need
Ron Holland II played just three minutes today and didn’t get off the bench in the second half, which was not the start he was hoping for. He picked up two boneheaded fouls almost immediately, missed his only 3-point attempt and never got back in the game.
Holland is going to play, and one game isn’t going to change that, but if Holland doesn’t start hitting some shots, those minutes are increasingly going to go to Green, who hit 38 percent of his 3-point shots last season and was deadly from the corner.
Like Green, Holland can affect games with his defense, but he doesn’t offer the shooting yet, so Green is easier to use against big wings without giving up anything on the offensive end.
Green isn’t going to shoot the ball like that every night, but he’s a threat, and right now, Holland is not.
Again, decisions aren’t made after one game, and Holland is going to play a role on this team, but the clock is ticking, and every game like this from Green will make it easier for the Pistons to include Holland in a trade at some point.
I don’t want to be too negative after a win, or get too down on Holland, but it’s going to be difficult to justify paying him $11.5 million next season when you can get more versatile production out of Green for a fraction of the cost.
Green is one of the more underrated 3-and-D role players in the league, and showed it tonight, as the Pistons wouldn’t have won the game without him.
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