Brandon Jennings, Chauncey Billups will compete for Pistons’ starting job

Joe Dumars said that Detroit Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks is telling his four point guards that the starting job is an open competition.

by Kevin Zimmerman

Aug 7, 2013, 9:31 PM UTC

USA TODAY Sports

Forget the chemistry and fit between the Detroit Pistons' frontcourt. It's the point guard position that could carry the most intrigue. Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars told MLive.com that first-year coach Maurice Cheeks isn't approaching the season with a starting point guard in mind:

“He said, ‘Look, come in and earn it. I’m going to give it to whoever earns it.’ He said that to every single guy,” Dumars said.
“He said, ‘Joe I’m not going to put myself in a trick box where I’m committing myself to something and it doesn’t play out.’ So, he’s kept it wide open. He said, ‘Let’s see what happens.’ That’s exactly what he said. That’s exactly how it’s going to be.”

The point guard position is deep. The Pistons sent youngster Brandon Knight to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for the inefficient, but talented, Brandon Jennings. Prior to that move, Detroit signed veteran and franchise favorite Chauncey Billups and re-signed backup point guard Will Bynum. The team also added rookie and second-round pick Peyton Siva to the fold.

All four point guards told Dumars they would fight for the starting job. Dumars and Cheeks don’t have a problem with that competition.

Realistically, it appears that the starting gig is Jennings’ to lose. The 23-year-old averaged 17.5 points and 6.5 assists with the Bucks in 2012-13, and it seems only Billups could do enough to snag the starting spot from under Jennings’ feet.

But Billups, who is 36 years old, was brought in more to fill a mentor role and could still be a step slow after a long recovery from an Achilles tear. Bynum has shown productivity in a backup role but doesn’t have starting experience, and Siva could have trouble cracking the rotation in his first NBA season.