Taurean Prince may not have arrived in Detroit with much fanfare, but he could wind up filling one of the Pistons’ most annoying holes.
When the Pistons got John Collins in that sprawling six-team deal, Prince and Gary Harris came along as part of the package and landed in Detroit. Harris was more of a footnote. Prince, though, has a chance to matter.
The reason is simple: the Pistons have been hunting for a real backup power forward for two seasons, and Prince at least gives them a workable answer. Detroit spent last year patching that spot together with Javonte Green, Ron Holland II and even Ausar Thompson behind Tobias Harris, none of whom are true fours.
Prince isn’t exactly a classic power forward either at 6-foot-6, but he has played that role for much of his career, brings a near 7-foot wingspan and has long been able to defend well enough to stay on the floor. On top of that, he stretches defenses as a shooter, which creates a different kind of problem for opponents.
That spacing could be especially useful in JB Bickerstaff’s “all-bench” lineups, the kind that tend to irritate fans but can be a smart regular-season tool for maximizing depth. One possibility would be Daniss Jenkins, Isaiah Joe, Ron Holland, Taurean Prince and Paul Reed, a group that has a chance to play fast and open the floor.
Joe and Prince both shot well over 40 percent last season, so defenses would have to honor them on the perimeter. That should give Jenkins, Holland and Reed more room to work and could make Detroit’s bench offense look a lot cleaner than it did a year ago.
There are real drawbacks, though. Defense would be the biggest issue, and rebounding would be another.
The Pistons would be small in a lot of places with that group, especially with two undersized guards and a small four who isn’t known for cleaning the glass. They’d be leaning hard on Holland to help cover ground, roam the floor and chip in on the boards, particularly on defense.
Prince probably won’t be asked to carry a heavy workload, but he doesn’t need one to make an impact. If he can give Detroit a legitimate backup power forward who can space the floor, he could help solve a problem the Pistons have been trying to patch for two seasons.
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