While the Pistons were getting BTFO the frick out by the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs last season, I came up with some ideas for how the Pistons could do to me more competitive. I intended for those ideas to be used in that particular playoff series, but there’s no reason for them not to be applicable to the regular season that just started. Among the points I presented:
“-Allow Luke Kennard to shoot the ball however and whenever he wants. Related to this, instruct Wayne Ellington to never shoot the ball.
-Run plays for Luke Kennard.
-If Dwane Casey seems like he’s going to try to take Luke Kennard out of the game, remind him that Luke Kennard is the only Pistons player who can score right now.
-Set a minimum of twenty field goal attempts per game for Luke Kennard.”
The one about Wayne Ellington isn’t really relevant anymore (apparently he’s on the Knicks now), but all the rest of those, man, that’s some serious wisdom I was dropping on the clueless FO of the Pistons. And apparently they were listening to me, because you won’t believe what just happened: Luke Kennard finally enjoyed some offensive freedom and provided the Pistons with a career-high 30 points, almost all of them in the second half, as he led the team to opening-night victory.
Damn, I just realized that I should be crafting a tale where Kennard gets to visit the “Hall of the Thirty-Point Scorers”. Those are always fun. Detroit fans would be surprised and delighted to find that the Keeper of the Hall is none other than Carlos Delfino.
Anyway, it’s gratifying to see that the Pistons took my advice and basically ran things through Kennard. I mean, they didn’t really, Derrick Rose and Andre Drummond were doing a lot of things, but at least they kept Kennard in while he torched the Pacers. Normally Dwayne Casey just takes him out the second he makes a shot, misses a shot, or exists.