Pistons Notes: Drummond, Johnson, Van Gundy

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy was left second-guessing himself after making the questionable decision to leave Andre Drummond, whom Detroit signed to a five-year, $125MM contract extension over the summer, on the bench during the final seconds of a loss against the Celtics, Aaron McMann of MLive.com writes.

“I could see it in his face. He felt like he made a mistake,” Drummond said. “I believe in Aron Baynes, and it just didn’t fall. You can’t fault him for that. (It’s) a game of basketball — anything can happen.”

Here is more news out of Detroit:

• Van Gundy did not play Stanley Johnson for the first time this season Saturday night in an effort to jumpstart the offense, Tony Paul of the Detroit News writes. Last month, the Pistons picked up Johnson’s 2017/18 option. Johnson, the eighth overall pick in last year’s draft, averaged 23.1 minutes per contest in 73 games for the Pistons during his rookie season, contributing 8.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 1.6 APG.
• There is an urgency for the Pistons to halt their losing skid before Reggie Jackson returns, but they also need time to implement any lineup changes, McMann relays in a separate piece. “If you’re going to make changes, you want to be able to talk to (your team),” Van Gundy said. “You need at least a morning walkthrough.”