Detroit Pistons: What the new guys will bring to the team

Willie Reed

Willie Reed is the player that I think should be getting a little more buzz. He started his career bouncing around the G-League, (then D-League) including spending some time with the Grand Rapids Drive. I think that fact right there is why he will play well for Stan Van Gundy.

Van Gundy has been a huge supporter of using his G-League team. He consistently sends players in, including guys like Stanley Johnson and Luke Kennard, who are both consistent role players on the team. The system they use is the same in both places. Heck, Reed’s old coach for the Drive, Otis Smith, is a current assistant of the Pistons.

So they know this guy, they know what he brings to the table, and most importantly, he has size. I’m a huge supporter of the notion that “you can’t teach size” and that alone was a reason I adored Boban Marjanovic. Unfortunately for Boban, he couldn’t really do anything against a player with any type of speed.

Reed isn’t as thick as Drummond (245 vs 280) but he’s the same height with a dumbed down skill set. He can actually run the floor, which is something that Pistons centers have not been doing well other than Andre. I think that alone will come in handy. Having 48-minutes where the offense doesn’t really need to change should do wonders to their flow on the court. A full game of Drummond, Reed and a little Blake Griffin is something that excites me.

Am I being too high on Reed? Perhaps. But I think that he’s flown under the radar in this trade and could really help this team out. It’s just that the last guy they got in this trade is going to do a lot more.