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The Detroit Pistons struggled to shoot the ball last year, and all their moves in the offseason is make the problem worse. First, they traded away their best shooter in Jodie Meeks (per his request) and are set to sign Ish Smith, a no-shooting point guard who can push the pace and find other players open shots.
The problem is a lack of players to hit those open shots. However, that might be changing as the newest name to enter the Pistons rumor mill is Jon Leuer. Leuer is a 6-foot-10 power forward who can also play small-ball center and hit 39 percent of his 3s last season.
These rumblings come courtesy of Rod Beard at the Detroit News, who mentions Leuer along with Moe Harkless and Thomas Robinson as possible Pistons targets.
He's also a quality rebounder, can finish in traffic and has the ability to get to the free-throw line. He might not be the 3-point threat that Anthony Tolliver is (or at least, he doesn't have the same kind of track record), but he's more than just a catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter off the bench and is four years younger than Tolliver.
Pistons fans can think of him as the poor man's version of what Detroit hopes Henry Ellenson can become, but with actual NBA experience.
Just recently, ESPN listed Leuer as one of the potential steals of the offseason as a rotation-caliber stretch big:
The Suns' past season was one they'd probably just as soon forget: too many injuries, too much team turmoil and a disappointing 23 wins. The bright spots were few and far between. After Devin Booker -- a rookie revelation at the SG position -- Leuer might represent the most pleasant surprise.
Already on his fourth team in five seasons, Leuer hasn't exactly been a prized asset thus far in his career. But when given significant playing time for the first time in the 2015-16 season, Leuer stepped up his game. The journeyman big grabbed a very respectable 10.8 rebounds per 36 minutes of play. He logged a decent rate of steals, blocks and assists and kept turnovers to a minimum. Perhaps best of all, Leuer took almost one-fourth of his shot attempts from beyond the arc and converted an impressive 38 percent from distance. The lowly Suns were outscored by only three points per 100 possessions with Leuer on the floor, which gave him the team's second-best on-off mark, behind Eric Bledsoe.
Leuer also posted an RPM rating of -0.2, just below league average -- an excellent mark for a rotation player. Such a solid contributor off the bench, he'd still be grossly underpaid if his salary were to triple this summer from the $1 million he made last season.
For comparison's sake, his more high-profile teammate Mirza Teletovic just signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
He's not Al Horford, but then again, he at least fits a need and comes much cheaper. What do you think DBB?