Stanley Johnson joins rookies Ellenson and Gbinije with Grand Rapids Drive
Stan Van Gundy has decided that Stanley Johnson needs game reps, so the decision has been made to send him to the Grand Rapids Drive for one game.
Stanley Johnson has struggled mightily at times in his sophomore season with the Detroit Pistons. He has been all but removed from the Pistons’ rotation for the past few weeks, getting spot minutes and garbage time at the end of blowouts.
As a result, Johnson is going to head to the Grand Rapids Drive for a one-game stint. The Pistons played Friday night in Minneapolis, giving them an off day before returning home to face the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, so Stan Van Gundy decided that there may be no better time for him to get some run in a competitive basketball game.
After discussing it with SVG last night, Stanley Johnson will play for Grand Rapids D-League team tonight. #Pistons
— NerdOnTw1tter (@Vincent_Ellis56) December 10, 2016
This will be no standard demotion, as Johnson will return to Detroit for the Sixers game and will be available should Van Gundy call on him. Instead, in light of Johnson’s struggles, minutes are important, as is keeping his game legs. Over the Pistons’ last 17 games, Stanley Johnson is averaging 9.6 minutes per appearance with two DNP-CD’s and a one-game suspension for violating team rules.
Johnson will join rookies Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije who have also been assigned to the Drive for the night, and all three are expected to return to Detroit for Sunday’s game.
Understandably, Johnson wasn’t pleased to receive Van Gundy’s decision, but it’s a logical one that should help from both a confidence and cardio perspective.
The Drive will face the Delaware 87ers at 7 p.m. and as with all NBA D-League games, you can watch it live online at dleague.nba.com.
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