Right now, Brandon Knight is taking it slow trying to rest and heal up a case of plantar fasciitis, the foot condition that makes it painful to run. It’s mild and he should be ready to go by training camp.
And that is when Knight plans to show what he did with his summer vacation.
In the summer everybody is improved, everybody has been working on their game and if you listen to team personnel and agents, everyone is going to be making a leap.
But Knight really could make a leap. As a rookie point guard he showed promise, but he also looked like a rookie. He needs to be more efficient — shoot a higher percentage, reduce turnovers, get teammates the ball in better spots — and he is capable of those things. We will see over the next couple years if his game can mature.
For his part Knight sounds ready. Look what he told Pistons.com.
“Some of the things I wish I would have been better at last year, I think I will show this year because I’ve gotten so much better at them,” he said. “That’s why I’m very excited about the season. I can’t wait. I’m going to be able to do a lot more things as far as getting guys involved. I’m looking forward to getting guys to play harder and to want the basketball and look for me as a player that is going to help them have a good game, somebody that’s making everybody around them better.
“I’m visualizing getting wins, visualizing the Pistons taking strides to being a championship team like it used to be. You get tired of hearing how the Pistons used to be a good team. You take pride in bringing the Pistons back to what Pistons basketball is.”
If Knight can improve, if Greg Monroe can take his game to the next level, if Andre Drummond can come anywhere near his potential there is a nice core in Detroit. It’s young, it’s going to take a few more years, but there can be something there if these players develop.
If nothing else though, I like Knight’s attitude.
