Is SJJ the new Nino Brown of the Pistons?
DETROIT, MI - Never a GM to stay stagnant, GM emplep decided to make a splash at Day 30 by bringing in the polarizing CSL figure in Stanley Johnson Jr. Once dubbed by the current GM as "not my type of player", it seems he has done an about-face as it has been rumored that he has been drooling over the talent and attitude that SJJ has brought back to the Bad Boys of the East.
As the team was entering this season, most experts thought that with the addition of rookie defensive sensation Kaiser Gates, they would finish at best 5th in the East and not even winning their own division - a slap in the face to a Pistons team that has never finished lower than 4th in the Eastern Conference, but they didn't have the look of a team that could compete with everyone new darling of the East. the Miami Heat. The GM was said to be looking to the future though and wanted to bring in talent that would win now, but also a piece that he felt could excel with the change in the league coming for the next season. He saw that the engine favored players who could score and rebound at a high rate. Enter Stanley Johnson.
Stanley was rumored to being shopped around by the Oklahoma City Thunder due to their rebuilding efforts and with the Pistons owning a few 1st round picks in the next couple drafts, it seemed like a good match. Although the Pistons were unwilling to part with their 2025 Minnesota 1st Round pick, they agreed to send expiring contracts and the 2025 San Antonio Spurs 1st round and Houston Rockets 2024 1st Round picks in order to secure what the team feels is a young, franchise player.
So far, the high price tag is paying its immediate dividends...
In 20 games since acquiring Stanley, the Pistons have moved him primarily to the Power Forward position and have gone a whopping 17-3 as he forms a dynamic offensive pairing with the young Jamal Murray and a rebounding matchup nightmare with fellow PF, Julius Randle. The defensive balance with Jordan Adams, Kaiser Gates, Bam Adebayo, and Denzel Livingston have made the Pistons a more well-rounded team. They are currently sitting at 27-9 as a team, which is only a half game out of the first spot in the East and currently the 3rd best record in the league behind Boston and Phoenix.
In those 20 games, the Pistons have tried to limit his minutes until the playoffs, but Stanley is fitting perfectly into the Pistons system. In those 20 games, he is averaging 27.9 minutes, 20.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game shooting a career high 48% from the field. His ability to draw fouls and convert at the FT line have also been a huge lift to the team as he is often putting opposing big men into foul trouble and is ridiculously effective.
In 13 games for the Thunder, Stanley was averaging 19.5 minutes, 15.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 0.1 blocks on 41% shooting from the field. His huge increase in his shooting percentage has not gone unnoticed by his current coach.
When asked what has changed to allow him to shoot at a higher percentage, Stanley responded to reporters:SJ puts in work man. He grabs boards, plays defense, draws contact, and hustles like nobody I've seen before. He's been there before and won a wing so he is teaching a lot of these young guys who haven't wont anything what it takes to be a professional and its rubbing off on the whole team. - Pistons HC, Chauncey Billups
We will see if this trend continues or if the talking heads will be right about where the team falls at the end of the season, but at the current rate this seems like a team that is looking forward to competing with the "new" top teams of the East.The coaching staff just simplified the game for me. I was overthinking it and they slowed it down for me and I'm not just chucking up shots on this team. Plus the guys on this team are great and they play team ball. Livi is ridiculous with the ball in his hands and can defend anyone in the league, I love when me and Big J are in the game together and grabbing boards over everyone, but we just get after it. You can tell the team wants to get back to winning a ring and I'm just happy to be a part of it right now.
2028
