The Detroit Pistons won their sixth straight game on Sunday against the Sixers to improve to 8-2 for the season. They look like they will be a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference and have a chance to make a deep postseason run. The most impressive part of their winning streak has been how firmly they have been demonstrating their "next man up" attitude. Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser have been sidelined all season, Tobias Harris missed his third straight game, and Isaiah Stewart wasn't available on Sunday with an ankle injury.
Even though the Pistons continue to roll despite the absences, their need to make a few tweaks to the roster shouldn't be ignored. Detroit is low on shot creation without Ivey and Sasser, and with both players expected to be out for at least a few more weeks, the Pistons would be wise to address this need.
Pistons Don't Need to Waste a Roster Spot on Bobi Klintman
An easy way to fix this would be by replacing Bobi Klintman with Daniss Jenkins. Klintman has continued to be ineffective in his second season, and Jenkins is currently on a two-way contract, minimizing his ability to contribute. Moving on from Klintman, thus creating a roster spot, and signing Jenkins to a guaranteed spot seems like the best way to get more offense into the rotation.
Klintman has been getting more of a chance in the last two games. Harris and Stewart's absence created a hole in the power forward rotation. With his physical profile, Klintman is the natural next player up to fill that role. Against the bottom-feeders, Brooklyn Nets, he played 14 minutes and went 2/6 for four points. Against Philadelphia on Sunday, he played five minutes, missed the only shot he took, committed a turnover, and didn't put up any other box score stat. The Pistons were outscored by 11 points during his stint.
Despite the team's desperate need for more forward play, Klintman hasn't looked like he is ready to contribute. The Pistons should be in a win-now mode, and don't need to waste a roster spot on Klintman when he has been nowhere near a rotation player in Detroit. Plus, with Stewart emerging as a solid power forward option and Bickerstaff trying more two-big lineups, there will be fewer and fewer opportunities for Klintman going forward.
The Swedish second-round pick will turn 23 during the season, and his chances of turning into the all-around forward some thought he would become when he came into the league seem low. The Pistons shouldn't wait any longer to make the obvious move of cutting him.