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Hopefully, Greg Monroe feels insulted by insinuations from Detroit Pistons general manager Joe Dumars and others that Andre Drummond is the only untouchable on the team roster.
Before Drummond came on the scene a year ago as a rookie, many would’ve thought Monroe was untouchable.
But there have been trade talks concerning him at times, and considering another so-called untouchable, Brandon Knight, was traded, Monroe is by no means a guaranteed Piston for life. But he has developed into an elite NBA player and is critical for the franchise’s hopes of being a playoff contender.
Monroe will focus on power forward with Josh Smith at small forward and Drummond at center as the Pistons try to develop one of the best frontcourts in the NBA.
Monroe provides outstanding shooting and rebounding power. He had impressive stats for his third season with 16 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. The second to the last game of the season against the Philadelphia 76ers, Monroe had the type of game the Pistons would like to see from him all season: 37 minutes, 27 points with 10-of-14 shooting from the floor and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, 16 rebounds and four assists. His shooting of 48.67 percent from the floor and 68.9 percent from the free throw line aren’t bad stats, but they could improve along with his nearly three turnovers per game average.
It’s his defense that has to improve in a major way. But he also has the ability to slide back to the center spot when Drummond isn’t on the court.
Monroe, if he’s a better player than last season, will be a major impact for the Pistons.
John Raffel is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JohnCarlRaffel, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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