Henry Ellenson enjoying up-and-down life in the NBA

Henry Ellenson created plenty of great memories on the court at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in his year playing basketball at Marquette. He'll have to wait to make new ones as a professional.

On Monday night, Ellenson returned for the first time with the Detroit Pistons. The visit drew little fanfare as he was listed among Detroit's inactive players, sitting in a suit at the end of the bench for what became a 102-89 Milwaukee Bucks victory.

"It feels great to be back at BMO," Ellenson said. "It was fun to get back today. I went to Marquette's campus to see my teammates and see some of my friends, so it's good to be back in Milwaukee."

Watching games from the sideline has been a common occurrence for Ellenson this season while getting acclimated to the NBA after getting drafted 18th overall last June. He has played in just 14 games for the Pistons, averaging 4.0 minutes and 1.5 points per appearance.

"It's not easy," Ellenson said. "Obviously I'm used to playing a lot — I did it in high school, I did it here at Marquette — so it's something different for me, a different challenge."

As difficult as that's been for him, it hasn't been unexpected. Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy laid out the plan right from the get-go, telling Ellenson he wants him to focus on getting stronger and learning from his teammates.

"I feel like it's been a good year for me as a matter of getting better," Ellenson said. "I've just been taking it day by day and improving. That's kind of been my role this year and learning from these other guys. I feel like it's going good, that my game has improved a lot."

While Ellenson hasn't gotten much action at the NBA level, he has gotten plenty of playing time with the Grand Rapids Drive, the Pistons' affiliate in the NBA Development League. Ellenson has gotten accustomed to the 160-mile trip from Detroit to Grand Rapids, logging 13 games with the Drive. In those games, he's put up numbers — 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in 35.2 minutes per game — reminiscent of the college output that earned him Big East freshman of the year honors last season.

"I've been in the D-League a little bit getting some play in, which has been good for me," Ellenson said. "Just getting back in that game routine and getting up and down the court playing big minutes. I've enjoyed it.

"I think the biggest thing when I go down there is coaches telling me to guard and really focus on playing defense. That's the big thing — everyone knows I can score, that's what I've always done. ... It's been good. I feel like I've gotten a lot from that."

Van Gundy, who is also Detroit's president of basketball operations, knew what he was getting when he drafted Ellenson. He has liked Ellenson's progress and demeanor, though he thinks the 6-foot-11, 20-year-old forward still needs time to increase his strength and improve on the defensive end, where he will be asked to defend smaller, quicker wings as well as bigger, stronger centers, depending on the night's matchup.

"Offensively he's really good — he's skilled, he can put it on the floor, he can create his shot, he can shoot the ball," said Van Gundy, who mentioned that Ellenson will get more D-League experience after the all-star break. "It's his strength and his defense. I think in a lot of ways it's harder for the younger big guys because they're playing against big, strong men and he's got some time to go. But we're happy with his development. We think he's going to be a really, really good player."

Off the court Ellenson is enjoying the professional life, though it's not without its challenges. It's the first time he's living on his own which, even with visits from his family and his brother Wally just 40 minutes away playing professionally for the Windsor Express of the National Basketball League of Canada, has been an adjustment.

"Detroit's been a good city for me, but for the first time I don't have my roommate Haani (Haanif Cheatham) anymore," Ellenson said. "We don't got any more Sunday cleaning days — it's all on me now, so I take all the chores."

Despite his active travel schedule and the heavy demands of the NBA he still keeps up with what Marquette is doing. He texts with his former teammates frequently, offering both advice and encouragement.

"I'm always texting my guys, seeing what they're up to," Ellenson said. "It's nice to see how they're doing. I know they've hit a little tough stretch here, but hopefully they can get back to their winning ways and try to win out the rest of the Big East and get to the tournament, which I know they want bad."

The Pistons will make their final trip to Milwaukee on March 31, which is when Ellenson will get his next chance to make his Bradley Center debut as a pro. That's something he hopes he'll be able to do, though his aspirations aren't so narrowly focused. He wants to build his game the right way and do big things in the NBA over the long term, so if that means delaying his Bradley Center debut it's something he can live with.

"I can't just focus on the short-term stuff," Ellenson said. "I want to be doing this for awhile and so it's just a matter of looking at every day as an opportunity to get better and you never know when your opportunity comes around. ... There's a lot that goes into it, but this is what I want to do."