Brandon Knight of Detroit Pistons: Will Kentucky Star Be Next Chauncey Billups?

I know it is way too early to begin thinking about what type of player Brandon Knight will be for the Detroit Pistons.

I would bet vital parts of my anatomy that there will be a substantial chunk taken out of the 2011-12 NBA season due to the lockout, if it is played at all. We could be waiting a very long time before we see some dividends being paid on Knight's career.

But at the very least, Pistons fans need to begin thinking about what to expect from their new point guard.

Comparisons to past or present players are always tough, and usually unfair. That being said, they are necessary, as this is how we think as basketball fans. Kobe is the next Jordan. Dirk is the next Bird. For a while, people thought that Corliss Williamson would be the next Barkley.

That's the point. The problem with comparisons is that they rarely work out because the players are often compared to greats that they have no shot of becoming. Then, when it doesn't work out, they are viewed as a bust.

Let's look at some of the past comparisons.

• Lindsay Hunter was supposed to be the next Isiah Thomas. Obviously, this didn't happen. But he did have a good career.
• Steve Smith and Walt Williams were supposed to be the next Magic Johnson. Neither came close, though Smith found a nice niche as a shooter.
• Larry Johnson was supposed to be the next Charles Barkley. He was far from it, but did develop into an All-Star.

Let's hold off on comparing Knight to a superstar like Isiah Thomas right now, as the comparisons are far off. Thomas was a transcendent player that only comes around once in a lifetime. Knight will not be Thomas.

But Knight could be Chauncey Billups.

Take a look at his early highlights. Billups was built the same way as Knight, had a similar demeanor and was money from the perimeter.

However, Billups was not groomed properly from the start, and it took him a while before he found his niche in the league. By the time he paired up with Larry Brown in Detroit, he figured out how to play the pro game and became one of the top 10 point guards in the league.

Knight has an opportunity to learn from Billups' career without the same type of hardships.

What doomed Billups in Boston and the three other stops he made before reaching Detroit was the fact that he was more of a combo guard that was thrust into the point guard role. He could always shoot, but he looked tentative and out of sync as a floor leader.

Knight will similarly be asked to take the reins as the point guard of this team, but he has the benefit of having someone else that can make plays with the ball in Rodney Stuckey.

True, Stuckey also is a combo guard, but his ability to penetrate frees up passing lanes. In a pinch he can still be asked to shoulder some of that burden.

What Knight needs to do is focus primarily on his teammates and finding ways to distribute the ball to them. He showed glimpses of that in his college career. This also leads to another advantage he has over Billups—he is younger.

When Billups came out of Colorado he was a two-year starter. He was the focus of the entire offense, and essentially carried his team. That basically forced him to be a scorer primarily, and a distributor as strictly a last resort. He never had the opportunity to hone his point guard skills.

Knight had half as long of a career in college learning those same habits. Sure, he was a score-first point guard as well, but he also had more talent around him, which allowed him to distribute as well.

Both were great shooters from deep (each shot 38 percent from three-point range) and less-than-great decision makers (1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio for Knight, 1.4 for Billups). Neither was regarded as hyper quick, with Knight being a slightly better athlete.

However, both were viewed as hard-working and intelligent kids that wanted to win.

Looking at those comparisons, a few things should jump out.

First, the assist-to-turnover ratio is atrocious, but Billups straightened this out and is now one of the best in the league at protecting the ball. Knight will need to protect the ball better and has the makeup to do so.

Second, the shooting ability is excellent. This is what should help Knight right off the bat. Billups was never going to blow past defenders, but because of his shooting ability, he was able to get to the hoop whenever he wanted, because defenses had to play up on him to protect against the shot. This, in turn, allowed Billups to find open teammates since opponents sucked into the paint to stop his penetration.

This is precisely the reason that Stuckey has struggled. He can't shoot, and defenders know it. Therefore, they can sink back and take away the drive. By holding the threat of the three-pointer, Knight will immediately be a three-option threat (shoot, pass, drive) on offense.

Third, Knight is a worker. Sure, Billups was too, but Knight also has the benefit of the Randy Moss syndrome. I'm not talking about being a diva that quits on his team. I mean the fact that he was passed over for other players.

Knight expected to be a top-three pick, and when he fell to No. 8 he gained a chip on his shoulder. Need proof? Watch his reaction upon hearing his name called in the 2011 NBA draft. That wasn't the look of a kid that doesn't want to live in Detroit. That was the look of a kid that couldn't believe he fell so far.

This gives him an advantage over Billups since Chauncey went super high in the 1997 draft (No. 3 overall) and had much more pressure on him.

All in all, this is a pick that should be growing on fans. Sure, Knight lacks the quickness of Kemba Walker, or the defensive prowess of Bismack Biyombo, but he has the trait that Detroit has lacked for quite some time, one that even Billups took a while to develop: the desire to prove people wrong.

When Billups arrived in Detroit he was a castoff and essentially a bust. His NBA journey took him to a place where he wanted to prove the naysayers wrong and find his place among the top point guards in the league.

The look in Knight's eyes says he has that same chip on his shoulder. Here's hoping he harnesses that desire sooner rather than later, and learns a lesson from Billups.

I, for one, am not going to doubt this young man.