The perfect 3-for-3 night Henry Ellenson experienced from the 3-point line in his most recent unveiling bode well for ensuring he’ll have a role for many seasons ahead. Virtual 7-footers with that type of shooting stroke are the NBA’s equivalent of baseball’s left-handed pitcher: always coveted.
The move he made from the right wing across the lane, tossing in a left-handed running shot over the outstretched arm of the extraordinarily long Thon Maker says something else about Ellenson.
If that move is a routine part of his arsenal – and it’s the stuff Stan Van Gundy has been seeing routinely in training camp practices – that role he’ll have won’t just be one marked by longevity but by prominence.
“He’s got a lot more than just shooting threes,” Van Gundy said. “He’s able to shoot it, but I think what makes him really unique is his ability to put the ball on the floor and create his own shot.”
Van Gundy, not given to hyperbole, went on at length for the umpteenth time in camp’s three weeks about Ellenson after Tuesday’s practice.
“Henry was terrific in practice today. He just, offensively, is really, really talented,” Van Gundy said. “He’s just a good basketball player – and 19 years old. Yeah, I’m pretty excited to have him.”
He’s also pretty sure Ellenson’s not going to get regular minutes, barring injury, any time soon. That’s a measure of the depth he and general manager Jeff Bower have built and the trust he has in several young veterans – primarily Tobias Harris, Marcus Morris and Jon Leuer – ahead of Ellenson in the pecking order.
“It would be hard right now. Offensively, he’s pretty well there. The guy’s really, really good. So there may be some minutes at times. But defensively and on the boards, he’s still behind all three of those guys. And they’re all pretty good offensive players, too. But he’s a talented guy and the fact we have a lot of talent at those two positions, that’s pretty good with me.”
The situation is much the same for the other rookie, Michael Gbinije. Van Gundy would like to find another opportunity in tonight’s preseason finale to get Gbinije more minutes because, “I love the way he’s playing.” But two more young veterans who helped the Pistons win playoff games in last season’s stretch drive, Reggie Bullock and Darrun Hilliard, are going to get first crack.
“I’ll be honest. I’ll probably go to one of the veteran guys ahead of him to start,” Van Gundy said. “One of the things I say every year to the young guys is there’s two steps to getting playing time. The first step is you’ve got to earn our trust – the coaching staff and your teammates. Both Henry and Mike have crossed that threshold.
“Then it’s, are you the best option compared to the other guys? Right now, I haven’t seen enough. Not any fault of theirs; I haven’t seen enough to put them ahead of those guys. So I open the year and give that first chance, those first minutes, to guys I’ve seen out there in games.”
It might be a bit before Pistons fans get to see much of Ellenson and Gbinije in games. But if Van Gundy keeps seeing in practice from them what he’s seen so far, maybe not all that long.
