Detroit Piston's forward Henry Ellenson has been selected to play for the United State's World cup qualifying team.
Source: #Pistons Henry Ellenson has been selected for the U.S. National Team qualifying for the World Championships.
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) August 25, 2018
Ellenson has limited NBA experience after producing a solid college season. In his one year for Marquette, Ellenson averaged a near double-double with 17 points and 9.3 rebounds per game to go along with 1.5 blocks.
The Pistons selected him with the 18th overall pick in the 2016 draft, but he only played in 19 games his rookie season while bouncing back and forth from the G-League.
His second season saw increased playing time with little production. Ellenson played in 38 games but averaged only 4.1 points and 2.1 rebounds per game on 36 percent shooting, a very poor percentage for a big man.
This is an interesting choice for the national team. Team USA is stacked year to year with iconic stars and players that seem close to making that leap to stardom. Ellenson has not put up the numbers that suggest he is on that level, but someone on the national team must have seen some uncovered talent in Ellenson that could be beneficial to the team.
This selection will certainly help the Piston's big man. Working out with the team and getting personal coaching from a coach many consider to be the best in the league in Gregg Popovich can do nothing but improve the young man's talents.
The Pistons will use Ellenson and forward Jon Leuer next season to spell star Blake Griffin off the bench. Maybe the national team experience will finally allow him to carve out a consistent role on the team.
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