The Detroit Pistons are taking their franchise in a new direction now that they have heavily invested in Reggie Jackson to be their point guard and star player. Jackson is set to start at point guard and carry a heavy load for the Pistons, but there are some concerns about the backup point guard spot, at least for the beginning of the season. Brandon Jennings is likely to miss some time as he recovers from a torn Achilles, so the Pistons are hoping that Spencer Dinwiddie shows he's capable of handling that spot, according to David Mayo of MLive.com.
The Pistons are hoping that Jennings will be able to get back on the court by December or January, but they have also said that they plan to be cautious with him and not rush him back. With Jennings out they need someone to run the show while Jackson gets some rest, and the two options they have are Dinwiddie and Steve Blake.
Blake is now 35 years old and is coming off a so-so year with the Portland Trail Blazers where he made 35 percent of his threes but only shot 37 percent from the floor. Blake is a nice guy to have as a veteran off the bench who could play in a pinch, but the Pistons would rather Dinwiddie show he has improved enough to warrant being the backup point guard.
Dinwiddie is a 22-year-old point guard who is very big for the position at 6-foot-6. The former Colorado Buffalo played in 34 games with Detroit a season ago and averaged 4.3 points and 3.1 assists in 13.4 minutes per game while shooting just 30 percent from the field and 19 percent from three. Dinwiddie was the Pistons' second round draft pick in 2014, but they have high hopes for him, and beating out Blake this offseason would be the beginning of him fulfilling those hopes.
If Dinwiddie has a good training camp and preseason it is possible that he still may have a role even when Jennings gets back. Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy has said he would like to play Jackson and Jennings together during the season, so if that's the case they also might be on the bench together at times which could mean minutes for the second year man. Blake is a nice fallback option should Dinwiddie not show the improvement the Pistons had hoped for but Dinwiddie definitely has more upside.
