The Detroit Pistons continued their winning streak to begin the week with an impressive road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Cade Cunningham carried the team on his back as the Pistons were without Tobias Harris, on his way to 33 points, five rebounds, and eight assists.
Harris missed the game after spraining his ankle (h/t CBS Sports) in Saturday's win against the Mavericks. Isaiah Stewart took his starting spot on Monday and delivered a career night, putting up 26 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks, letting Pistons fans know that the stat of the frontcourt is still solid.
Detroit's ability to win games without Harris is certainly a very positive development. The viability of lineups with Jalen Duren and Stewart playing together is promising going forward. What is less promising, however, is the fact that head coach J.B. Bickerstaff didn't trust Bobi Klintman even in the absence of Harris.
Another DNP Seals Bobi Klintman's Pistons Fate
Harris averages 32.2 minutes per game. How Bickerstaff was going to distribute these minutes was a big question heading into Monday. With Klintman being the only other natural power forward on the roster, some wondered whether he would at least get a look. Instead, he was kept on the bench for the entire game once again. The Pistons mostly used an eight-man rotation, with Paul Reed playing for five minutes as the ninth player to earn playing time.
If Klintman can't even see the floor when Harris is out, there is little value to keeping him on the roster. The second-year big man barely played as a rookie, spending most of his time in the NBA G League. This year has been more of the same, as he played only once all season, during garbage time against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 27.
The 6'9" forward from Sweden was an older prospect when he was first drafted. He is older than Jalen Duren, who is in his fourth year and will turn 23 in March, meaning that he should be further along in his development than he currently is, and that makes his performance even more disappointing.
Klintman was the 37th-overall pick, so it's not like he came into the league with big expectations.. So, the Pistons need to be quicker when moving on from these young players when it becomes obvious that they aren't going to turn into rotation players. Bickerstaff clearly doesn't believe in him, and Detroit has plenty of young players who are developing at an even better rate.
Unless a big shift happens, Klintman's time in Detroit will come to an end sooner rather than later.
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