EAST LANSING, Mich. _ Late in Allen Iverson's dysfunctional 54-game stint with the Detroit Pistons, then-coach Michael Curry _ trying to salvage a trade gone awry _ decided to bring the future Hall of Famer off the bench.
Was it an easy sell for the franchise, where players such as Vinnie Johnson, Dennis Rodman and Antonio McDyess had been effective reserves?
Nope.
When asked about it, Iverson said it meant the coach didn't believe he was one of the five best players.
Iverson was waived toward the end of the 2008-09 season, an abysmal one for the Pistons, who had traded franchise mainstay Chauncey Billups for Iverson earlier that season.
Current Pistons coach Dwane Casey is pondering a similar situation with third-year shooting guard Luke Kennard.
Should he use Kennard's career 40% 3-point shooting to provide spacing in the starting unit?
Or should he use his shooting and playmaking on the second unit?
Casey is saying publicly that the decision hasn't been made. Expect Kennard to get a start or two during the five-game preseason schedule before the Oct. 23 opener at Indiana.
But a case can be made that the Pistons are better served with Kennard coming off the bench.
"He doesn't fit well with the first unit, but he is one of our most talented players and so the job we have as a coaching staff is to fit him where he's going to go," Casey said Monday at media day.
"He is one of our best 3-point shooters, but I think we take away some of his strengths with the first unit because there's only so many pick-and-roll ball-handling situations. I don't know if his strength is spot-up shooting now.
"His top strength is his pick-and-roll game."
Not just a shooter
Kennard, 23, has established himself as an elite shooter. From a nearly perfect pro day performance as a draft candidate in June 2017 to a 6-for-7 3-point performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers in March, he has taught opposing teams they should not leave him open.
But Kennard also performed better off the bench.
Kennard posted better field goal, 3-point and true shooting percentages as a reserve last season, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
Although it was only a 10-start sample size, it was enough to provide a theory.
Kennard is an adept pick-and-roll ball-handler.
Coming off the bench last season, he competed with former Piston Ish Smith for ball-handling opportunities. In the starting lineup, Casey feeds Blake Griffin and Reggie Jackson first.
"It's your role with who you're playing with," Kennard said after the first practice session of training camp Tuesday. "You got Blake, you got Reggie handling the ball a lot in that first group. The numbers might drop a little (when starting), but I got to fit in whoever I'm in the game with. Any way that can work, I'm there for it."
Kennard had a higher usage rate coming off the bench, an indicator that he received more action as a reserve.
Citing Second Spectrum, the official tracking and analytics provider of the NBA, ESPN.com's Zach Lowe wrote recently that Kennard ran only seven pick and rolls per 100 possessions with Griffin; the number jumps to 23 without Griffin.
Kennard would share ball-handling responsibilities with newcomer Derrick Rose on the second unit, but it's easier to feed two mouths than three.
And the increased touches as a reserve help Kennard develop a shooting rhythm.
Kennard said he was with Rose in most lineups during Tuesday's practice, and is looking forward to playing with the former MVP.
"I feel like I can pick his brain because he's been through so many things," he said. "He knows how to play the game. You kind of got to be a step ahead of him with how fast he is, how smart he is.
"I think we'll make a pretty good duo."
