Atlanta — In the second halves of the Pistons’ two wins on the eastern road trip, Stanley Johnson has found himself in a very unfamiliar place.
On the bench.
Wearing his warm-ups.
It’s a stark difference from last season, when he was one of the key pieces during the playoff series against the Cavaliers, playing dogged defense against LeBron James.
After serving as a key role as the sixth man last season as a rookie, Johnson is languishing in a reduced role in the first quarter of the season. He’s played in only 17 of the Pistons’ 20 games — including a one-game suspension for violating team rules — and his scoring average is half of the 8.