In a recent interview forward Luigi Datome admitted to his struggles during his rookie campaign, but stated that he hopes to become part of the rotation in his second season.

"I don't know how good I'm going to be, but my next stop, my next target is to be rotation guy that play every night," Datome said. Datome was one of the best outside shooters in Europe, but shot just 17.9 percent from 3-point range during his rookie season. However, with how much coach Stan Van Gundy values the outside shot, and how much the Pistons need that outside scoring threat, it is possible Datome gets more playing time in his second year.

Pistons forward Luigi Datome said that his 18.4 percent shooting from downtown is partly due to his limited role off the bench.

Datome was considered a lights-out shooter in Europe but he's struggled to adapt to the NBA. "My percentage is terrible," he said. "It's not easy to sit for five, six games and then play maybe five minutes of garbage time." The 26-year-old will earn $1.8 million in the final year of his contract next season, and he should go undrafted in fantasy leagues.

Luigi Datome got some garbage time run on Tuesday and hit 4-of-6 shots and two 3-pointers for 10 points and a block in 17 minutes.

This was a career night for Datome and there's no doubt he can shoot the ball. He got some run tonight as Josh Smith was benched early in the blowout, but has no chance at fantasy value in the near future. This was a garbage-time special.

Luigi Datome will see time at power forward in an effort to find him minutes.

Fantasy owners shouldn't be flocking to their waiver wires to scoop up the Italian upon reading this news, but it's an interesting nugget nonetheless. Datome is a pure shooter and could give fantasy owners a cheap boost in 3-pointers if he sees more playing time, as he had four attempts from downtown in Wednesday's game.

Luigi Datome (hamstring) made his NBA debut against the Wizards on Wednesday, failing to produce any stats.

It's a little hard to put up stats in just 18 seconds. Before training camp, there were reports that Datome would be one of the first men off the bench for the Pistons, but injuries to his foot and hamstring derailed that talk. He's off the radar for now.

Luigi Datome (foot, hamstring) hopes to practice on Monday for the first time in nearly a month.

Mo Cheeks suggested that Datome, who missed the entire preseason, will not be part of the rotation to begin the season. "Then, depending on the game, depending on what other guys are doing, he gets a chance," Cheeks said. "But he's got to get out on the court first, and see him make shots, and see him do certain things, and take it from there." Datome has solid 3-point range but faces a steep climb to fantasy relevance.

Luigi Datome (hamstring) will not play against the Heat on Thursday.

It doesn't sound like this is just a garden-variety strain and he could miss more time. There is no word on the severity, but the Pistons haven't given any indication when he'll be on the court again. Even though Datome is in the mix to be the first forward off the bench, he isn't worth drafting in most leagues until his role becomes clear.

Luigi Datome's recent hamstring injury will keep him on the sidelines for Tuesday's home preseason opener.

Datome "felt something" when he injured himself on Saturday, which is mildly ominous, but there haven't been any updates suggesting it's a long-term injury. The Italian forward will be battling Kyle Singler and Jonas Jerebko for backup minutes this season.

Updating a previous item, Luigi Datome "felt something" in his hamstring during practice on Saturday.

Just as he was getting over a foot issue, it would appear the Italian is going to miss time with this injury. It's too bad because Datome had a chance to be in the rotation and being limited in camp could hurt his chances.

Luigi Datome may have tweaked a hamstring in Saturday's practice.

He was already dealing with a foot injury and has been limited to this point. Datome battled through minor injuries at EuroBasket over the summer, so that might be catching up to him. He could be the first forward off the bench and is on the radar in deep leagues.

Luigi Datome has been bothered by a foot injury in training camp.

He missed some time during EuroBasket with a foot sprain last back in October, and it carried over into September. Datome's injury is not considered serious and the team likely just wants him close to 100 percent to start the year.

Maurice Cheeks said he likes what he's seen out of Luigi Datome so far in camp.

"I've liked what I saw of him," Cheeks said. "He's getting up and down the floor. He's made shots." The Pistons don't have a clear picture of their rotation just yet, but Datome could be one of the first players off the bench. His ability to hit triples puts him on the radar in deep leagues for now.

Luigi Datome could be one of the first players off the bench, according to Keith Langlois.

In order to balance their attack, it's plausible that when Andre Drummond hits the bench, Monroe will shift to center, Josh Smith to power forward, and Datome would spread the floor at small forward. The Italian is a guy who can really light it up from 3-point range as he showed in EuroBasket. Additionally, last year he shot 40 percent from beyond the arc while bringing home the MVP trophy from his Italian league. We'll keep an eye on how the rotations are developing in October.

Luigi Datome made four 3-pointers in his 19-point outing against Serbia on Saturday.

He lit it up from downtown in his 11 EuroBasket games, making 24 triples on 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. The Pistons don't really have many long-distance shooters, so there's an opportunity for him. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is the only other player that could be their trigger man, but there was buzz of him being the fifth option at the guard spots. The Pistons have a lot of questions in their rotation and we'll be keeping a close eye on them.

The Pistons hope that Luigi Datome will provide perimeter shooting as a backup SF this season.

"Gigi is somebody who can shoot the basketball and he can finish at the rim and he does both of those things well," said assistant GM George David. "I think he's an underrated passer." Datome is a polished 25-year-old who shot 40 percent from downtown while earning league MVP honors in Italy last year, but he'll be fighting with Kyle Singler for minutes behind Josh Smith.

Luigi Datome (foot) came off the bench in Monday's win over Spain, scoring 11 points with four boards, one steal and one 3-pointer in 22 minutes.

He had a minor foot issue entering the game and was questionable to play, but he made two of the biggest plays of the contest in the 86-81 overtime win. Datome hit a game-tying shot with 0.1 second left in regulation, then had a big block on Victor Claver's breakaway would-be dunk. We'll be monitoring him in training camp.

Luigi Datome (foot) is questionable to play in Italy's game against Spain on Monday.

He's been Italy's leading scorer at 14.4 points per game and also leads them in rebounds in EuroBasket. Datome's reputation of being a shooter has been supported this summer, making 49.2 percent of his shots and knocking down 2.0 triples per game in seven EuroBasket games. He has a very good shot to make the rotation in Detroit and could be worth watching in deep leagues.

Luigi Datome said he wants to be in a "Shane Battier" role for the Pistons this season.

He has the skills to do on offense with his range. Battier led the NBA for 3-pointers in the corner and his defense is helpful on the perimeter. As for Datome, he's having a nice summer in Eurobasket and even scored 24 points on Saturday. The Italian is going to come off the bench and play behind Josh Smith at small forward, so he's only worth a look in deep leagues. For what it's worth, he does have upside for triples.

Luigi Datome (sprained foot) has returned to action for Italy after missing 10 days during EuroBasket.

Datome will lead Italy as they face off against Group D opponent Russia on Wednesday. The sharp-shooting forward projects as a backup SF for the Pistons this year, but he'll play a central role for an Italian team playing without Andrea Bargnani (pneumonia) or Danilo Gallinari (knee).

Luigi Datome suffered a foot sprain of Monday's game against Poland.

He will have an X-ray to check for a break. Datome could crack the Pistons rotation as a rookie and beat writers have him as Josh Smith's backup at small forward. The Italian shot over 40 percent from downtown in his last three years in the Italian league and has a fairly well-rounded game on offense. He's on the radar in very deep leagues.