Off the High Glass: Arron Afflalo

“Off the High Glass” will be a segment on CTBAAF where I profile one of the Pistons. Today, Arron Afflalo goes under the microscope.

Joe Dumars selected Arron Afflalo out of UCLA with the 27^th pick in the 2007 draft. Coming out of college, Afflalo was touted as a scorer and a strong defender, but there were concerns about his athleticism. Afflalo has exceeded expectations defensively, but his relative lack of athleticism has manifested itself on offense. Even with the merely mediocre contributions offensively, the man Rasheed Wallace dubbed “Aflac” has played more than well enough to justify the first round selection.

Offense: Afflalo struggled offensively as a rookie. He was unable to find the shooting stroke that served him well as a Bruin. Afflalo finished the season with a 41.1% field goal percentage, including just 20.8% on three pointers. He lacks a quick first step or a deceptive crossover dribble and thus had very little success trying to penetrate defenses.

This season, Afflalo has rediscovered his jump shot. While he still has not shown the quickness to consistently maneuver past defenders, Afflalo has found an offensive niche as a spot-up shooter. He has made over half of his shots and more than doubled his three point field goal percentage. By knocking down open shots, Afflalo is forcing defenders to stay with him, thereby opening up the middle for players like Stuckey and Iverson.

Defense: “I have the potential to be great on defense,” Afflalo said in a recent interview. The assessment was spot on; there are stretches where he is brilliant defensively. However, there are also occasions where he is overly aggressive and winds up either out of position or committing a foul. Even with the occasional miscue, Afflalo has established himself as the best defensive guard on the Pistons. At 6’5, he can defend all shooting guards along with most point guards and small forwards.

In the Pistons two biggest road wins of the young season, Afflalo played excellent defense against a trio of Western conference stars. In Los Angeles, Afflalo entered the game with the score tied at 12. Kobe Bryant already had five points and had earned assists on two of the three baskets he did not score. Curry put Afflalo in the game to slow Bryant down and the California native delivered. The Lakers made more turnovers than field goals over the remainder of the quarter and the Pistons jumped out to a seven point. The lead did not dip below five after that point.

Against San Antonio, the results were similar. Afflalo entered the game with the Pistons trailing by two at the start of the fourth quarter. He and Rodney Stuckey took turns defending Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli. The pair of second year guards thwarted the Spurs’ attack by denying dribble penetration. During that stretch, the Pistons scored 15 points compared to seven for the Spurs. Once again, the lead that Afflalo helped build lasted the remainder of the game as the Pistons pulled off the upset.

Afflalo relies on preparation, lateral quickness, and toughness on defense. He knows each of his opponents’ strengths and does his best to take those away from the players he is guarding. He possesses above average lateral quickness and stays right in the face of his man. Afflalo is a hard-nosed player who refuses to surrender an inch. This occasionally leads to unnecessary fouls, but more often frustrates his opponents.

Overall: The Iverson trade and subsequent switch to small ball should reduce Afflalo’s minutes. Although he is a perfect fit for that style of play, the fact that the Pistons are playing Iverson almost exclusively at shooting guard creates a glut at the wing positions. Between Afflalo, Iverson, Hamilton, Prince, and Hermann, there are not enough minutes to go around. As a result, Hermann will be forced to play out of position at power forward and Afflalo’s minutes will be squeezed. Even with the shortage of minutes, Afflalo will surely see the court if an opposing perimeter player is hurting the Pistons. The way Iverson plays defense, there should be plenty of those opportunities.

Afflalo still has room to grow, but is already one of the better perimeter defenders in the league. Offensively, Afflalo needs to find a way to get to the basket and also prove that his hot shooting this season is no fluke. For now, Afflalo is a very good backup. If he continues to improve – his work ethic is well-regarded – he has the potential to develop into a player similar to Bruce Bowen or Raja Bell. On a team that has struggled defensively this season, Afflalo has proven that he can be a part of the long term solution.