Stanley Johnson's Coach Blames His Nikes For Foot Problem -- But Will He Give Them Up?

By: Evan Jankens
@kingofthekc

Stanley Johnson sat out Monday's preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Johnson had been dealing with an injury to his left foot and had a CT scan performed and it came back clean.

According to MLive.com the Pistons doctors want Johnson to start wearing different shoes on the court. Johnson, who is a Nike athlete, is currently wearing the Kobe Bryant 11's, but they might be the reason for his foot troubles, according to his coach.

"We think it's coming from the shoes he's wearing," Van Gundy said of Johnson's foot issues. "He's fine. Nothing came up on the (CT) scan. He's just got irritation down there."

Van Gundy also mentioned how Johnson wants to continue wearing the sneakers on the floor:

"But Stanley, who is not the least bit hard-headed, wants to continue to wear them because they're really comfortable," Van Gundy said.

"I said, 'They're comfortable? You're in pain because you're playing in them.' God bless him at 20 years old, but it would seem to me that when the doctor tells you the shoes are the problem, that you would change your shoes."

It's amazing to me that the Pistons wouldn't be almost forcing Johnson to wear any other Nike that is available -- and that he would be resisting his coach's advice.

I would understand not wearing the Kyrie Irving's or even the LeBron James' shoes, but maybe he could wear older versions of the Kobe which he has in the past.

We do understand that his shoe deal is probably padding his wallet with extra millions and he is, as fansided pointed out, "one of only a handful of players drafted (in 2015) to receive a shoe deal at this stage." But is it worth missing out on playing time?