Former Syracuse player Michael Gbinije was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 49th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Here is the current salary and contract situation for the Pistons, per Basketball-Reference.com

Gbinije, 6 feet 7 inches, played point guard for the Orange this past season, but that was more out of necessity than true fit. He projects as either a shooting guard or small forward at the NBA level.

On a playoff team like Detroit, Gbinije’s best chance of getting consistent minutes is if he develops into a “3-and-D” player, somebody who will consistently hit the 3 and play solid man-to-man defense on the wing. He has the tools to make it happen. He hit 91 3-pointers last season (averaging 2.5 made 3s per game) at a 39 percent mark and led the Atlantic Coast Conference with 1.92 steals per game, albeit in Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone defense. The only problem for Gbinije is that the Pistons already have a decent amount of those players.

Marcus Morris and Tobias Harris — each one 6 feet 9 inches, 235 pounds — occupy the two starting forward spots. The starting shooting guard for Detroit is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a third-year pro out of Georgia. Pope has improved every year, as his minutes per game, shooting percentage, and points per game have increased every year. He’s also become a fantastic defender, garnering 27 votes for either of the two All-NBA defensive teams.

The Pistons bench also features solid “3-and-D” players. The backup small forwards include Stanley Johnson, who was picked No. 8 overall last year and received 42 votes for the All-Rookie team this past season, and Reggie Bullock, a former North Carolina standout and 2013 first-round pick who shot 42 percent from deep in limited minutes last year. The backup two-guard is Jodie Meeks, a seven-year veteran who’s made over 600 careers 3s at a 37 percent career clip. He did miss almost all of last season with an injury, though.

In today’s NBA, every team needs multiple players to space the floor and play solid perimeter defense. Detroit added another one of those pieces in drafting Gbinije.

Published on June 24, 2016 at 12:51 am

Contact Tomer: tdlanger@syr.edu | @tomer_langer