Caron Butler had his best game in the preseason finale in which both Kyle Singler and Cartier Martin also had big games.
There might not be room for all three of Kyle Singler, Caron Butler and Cartier Martin in Stan Van Gundy’s rotation when Pistons shooting guards Jodie Meeks and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope return to full health. In fact, there probably won’t be.
Josh Smith is going to steal some minutes at small forward. Van Gundy is intrigued by the sparks that could fly by pairing both Meeks and Caldwell-Pope together. So there isn’t likely to be a full 48 minutes to split for the three players atop the small forward depth chart to begin with.
But it’s nice to know they’re ready if the need arises, at least if Thursday’s preseason finale provides an accurate barometer.
“We got great games out of all three of them the other night,” Van Gundy said after Saturday’s practice. “That’s terrific. As guys come back, if one or two of ’em play well on a given night, we’re going to be in pretty good shape.”
Van Gundy has hoped, based on conversations with his medical staff, that Caldwell-Pope would be able to resume practice on Saturday, but he did very little. They’re still hopeful he’s in the lineup to start the season Wednesday at Denver, but Van Gundy is ready to plug Martin in at shooting guard and fill in with Singler and Butler there in addition to sharing small forward, just as they did so effectively in the 109-103 win over Philadelphia.
Singler led the Pistons with 19 points in 39 minutes. Butler added 18 points in 25 minutes and Martin scored 17 in 32. They combined to make nine 3-point shots in 18 attempts.
“They do a lot,” Smith said of the threesome most likely to log minutes at small forward when he’s not slotted there. “They do a great job of stretching the floor. Caron and Kyle can put the ball on the floor a little bit and create for themselves and others and Cartier is an outstanding perimeter defender when he’s under control and locked in. All those guys bring different things to the table for us.”
Martin probably will see more time at shooting guard until Meeks returns, which probably won’t be until mid- to late December. He hit 3 of 4 triples against Philly, made all four of his free throws and picked up six of the team’s 11 steals. He averaged 8.8 points in six preseason games, missing the opener with a shoulder injury.
Singler has split time at both wing positions over his first two NBA seasons. Van Gundy would like to keep him at small forward, though he’s also suggested Singler’s potential as a stretch four. He averaged 10.1 points in preseason and sunk 10 of 24 3-pointers over the last five games.
Butler scored two more points Thursday than he had in the five preseason games in which he’d played before that combined. Not only did he show off the perimeter shooting skills that the Pistons expect of him, he also got to the foul line (6 of 7), grabbed eight rebounds, picked up two assists and helped out breaking Philadelphia’s aggressive full-court pressure in the second quarter. If he’d caused any anxiety with his tepid outings before that, it hadn’t caused him to fret.
“I hate the thought of preseason, but had to get through it,” he grinned. “Our younger core, they pushed me through.”
Van Gundy wanted Butler – who broke into the NBA with Miami when Van Gundy was Pat Riley’s assistant 12 years ago – not just for his toughness and skill but for his savvy and leadership, as well. He’s taken rookie Spencer Dinwiddie under his wing and also is a sounding board for the players who share his position.
“I like the positivity and energy and thirst for learning from those guys,” he said. “They always ask me questions and ask me what do I see or what do I think. That means a lot as a veteran guy, being a shoulder to lean on, and I appreciate that and I’m proud of the job they did this preseason. Hopefully, it will carry over.”
So far, they’ve been just what Van Gundy expected when he signed Butler and Martin in free agency to go with Singler.
“We looked hard,” he said. “We wanted high-character guys who could shoot the ball. We’ve got a guy like Josh (Smith) who can create, we’ve got point guards who can create. If our two guards ever play, I think they can create and you need people around them that can make shots. We want those guys – Cartier, Caron, Kyle – I think they’re all good cutters and they’ve got to be tough, disciplined guys defensively and they’ve got to be low-mistake guys. That’s what we need out of them.”