Pistons rookie Stanley Johnson played point guard at practice
The Detroit Pistons have a bit of a situation at point guard.
Brandon Jennings is still recovering from an Achilles tear, and isn't ready to fully practice quite yet. Reggie Jackson is a little banged up after hitting the basket stanchion. Steve Blake is out with a concussion.
So what's that mean? Run the point, rook.
Swingman Stanley Johnson took reps at point guard for the Pistons, and head coach Stan Van Gundy sounded pretty impressed with how he played. Here's what he told Keith Langlois at Pistons.com:
“Stanley was really good today – really good,” Van Gundy said, his eyes coming alive even as he was digesting a day dampened by the lack of progress made possible by the run of bad luck. “Even at the point. He played well. You know what? He’s a poised kid. He got upset several times today with calls, but he bounces back quickly. I’ve been impressed with that part of it. … For him to be where he is as a rookie, four days in, yeah, pretty happy.”
“There’s not much that can really shoot my confidence down," Johnson said. There’s not really much that can shoot it up at this point,” he said. “I think I’m pretty high, even"-keeled confidence. I think that’s the best confidence to have. I think I’m pretty good at basketball. That doesn’t matter if you’re 18, 22, 27. I think I can play. That just is what it is.”
