The power forward position is the biggest question mark for the Detroit Pistons, but they may have an answer in Bobi Klintman.
Tobias Harris is obviously the starter for now, but he’s on an expiring deal, so who knows what his future with the Pistons looks like. Ron Holland will be backing him up this season and the Pistons will mix-and-match their versatile wings at the four in different matchups as the Knicks did last season.
But there are potentially some minutes available at backup power forward, as Holland can play all over and the Pistons badly need a big man who can shoot.
Bobi Klintman hasn’t been talked about much as a potential option, though Trajan Langdon did mention him specifically in a recent practice video put out by the team.
Klintman had injury setbacks during his rookie season and was underwhelming in Summer League, so he’s been off the radar of Pistons fans as a possible option.
The need isn’t as dire as some make it out, as the Pistons have players who can play power forward and the league is largely position-less anyway, so Detroit doesn’t need anything from Klintman.
But it would be nice.
Anything Bobi Klintman gives the Pistons is gravy
Klintman isn’t likely to be part of the rotation to start the season, and it would be surprising if he got regular minutes at any point barring catastrophic injuries.
But he represents a type of player that will be increasingly important in the coming years, which is guys on minimum deals. The new cap rules make finding contributors on lowball deals even more important, so it would be amazing if the Pistons could get something out of Bobi Klintman.
The Pistons have reportedly touched base on a few stretch bigs this summer with no real action, but the ideal solution would be for Klintman to step into some kind of role and give them impact at a low price that doesn’t include players or draft picks.
The Pistons haven’t hit on one of these guys in years, but finding low-cost players who contribute is a huge advantage when it comes to building out a deep roster.
With the Pitons’ roster about to get way more expensive, it’s imperative that they continue to find low-cost talent, as they did last season with Malik Beasley.
Hopefully, Klintman will be that guy, but he’s a rotation long shot for now, and until he proves otherwise, added to the list of second-rounders who never made it for the Pistons.