In their second preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Detroit Pistons extended significant playing time to players further down the depth chart. With three normal starters missing the game, there were a lot more minutes to spread amongst the deep rotation and non-guaranteed players. One such player was Bobi Klintman, who had a solid showing in his 19 minutes and is trying to earn a spot in the Pistons' regular season rotation.
Bobi Klintman has never looked better
Klintman came off the bench as the backup power forward in the latest preseason outing, but is more accurately the third-string option at that position. Starter Tobias Harris missed the game and Ron Holland II occupied the role in his stead. But Holland is still physically growing into the power forward role, and having Klintman as another reliable four would be huge for the Pistons depth.
Bobi's typical strengths were on full display in this game. He's known as a skilled player for his size, and he immediately showed that with two threes in the second quarter. He also ran a 4-5 pick and roll with center Paul Reed later in the game. While most bigs would be awkward handling the ball in that situation, Klintman was able to slip a nice bounce pass into Reed for an and-one finish.
However, Klintman also had one play that particularly excited the Pistons faithful. As time was winding down in the second quarter, Duncan Robinson took a three from the top of the key while Klintman was in the corner. The shot missed but Klintman was able to track it down for an and-one putback dunk over Myles Turner, a respected shot blocker.
One of the biggest knocks on Klintman's game since he was drafted last year was his relative lack of athleticism compared to other NBA players. On this particular play, he showed that he has enough athleticism to leverage his size for impressive finishes when defenses don't commit sufficient resources to stopping him. He took advantage of two defenders going to Robinson rather than boxing him out to throw one down.
Klintman could still use more work on the defensive end. Whenever he guarded Bobby Portis in the post, it seemed like an easy basket for the Bucks. Not only does Klintman need to have enough strength to stop veteran forwards from backing him down, he also needs to have the quickness to contest jump shots. That's where Portis often caught him lacking.
Klintman is unlikely to be one of the first guys off the bench this season, but a continued strong preseason can help him secure his spot as a rotation player. Last season, he hardly received any minutes for the Pistons main team and spent most of the year on the Motor City Cruise. If he's able to contribute on the court, Klintman will shore up a very lacking position on the Pistons depth chart.