Reggie Bullock, acquired in a July trade with Phoenix, has been “the pleasant surprise of preseason,” writes David Mayo of MLive. In his “Ask David” column, Mayo acknowledges that Bullock is still battling with Adonis Thomas for a roster spot, but says the 6’7″ forward has helped himself with a productive preseason. Bullock is averaging 12.3 points and 20.6 minutes of playing time in three preseason games. Mayo notes that Bullock is finally getting an opportunity, which didn’t happen after the Suns picked him up in a trade with the Clippers midway through last season. He played just 75 minutes in 11 games with Phoenix after the deal and made several trips to the D-League.
There’s more from the Motor City:
- Recent comments from Van Gundy indicate that rookie Darrun Hilliard has a secure spot on the team, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. The 6’6″ swingman from Villanova signed a three-year deal — with the first season fully guaranteed and a $500K guarantee for the second season — after being selected 38th in June’s draft. “We have a good feel for Darrun, maybe more so than the other guys,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t really feel the need to get him 18 or 20 minutes in a game. We pretty much know what we have there as a staff and even as a front office.”
- Jordan Bachynski is trying not to be intimidated by the long odds he faces in making the Pistons’ roster, writes Aaron McMann of MLive. The 7’2″ center was signed to a non-guaranteed contract two weeks before training camp opened. He went undrafted in 2014, spending part of last season with the Knicks’ D-League affiliate and another part in the Turkish Basketball League. ” I’m not thinking, ‘Oh, I’m going to get cut,'” Bachynski said. “Because if you start thinking like that, you’re not going to continue to work hard. I’m going to be in here every day, showing them that I want to be here. I’m not going to be one of the guys who dogs it, who sits on the sideline, who doesn’t show up every day.”
- Free agent addition Aron Baynes surprised the Pistons’ coaching staff with his play in his preseason debut, according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. It was the first action since offseason ankle surgery for Baynes, who signed a three-year, $20MM deal in July.