The Detroit Pistons are a rudderless ship at the moment, but that doesn’t mean they can’t cause trouble for the Indiana Pacers.
The Pistons’ ship is stranded in the middle of a vast, bottomless ocean. Their ship has sailed for quite some time and has made progress towards the promised land. The torrential storm Detroit resides in has intensified. They’ve found a new captain after a taxing mutiny but still, are caught in the whirlpool of mediocrity.
This cheesy metaphor is precisely where the Detroit Pistons reside. The Pistons are the embodiment of the provincial “no man’s land” in the current climate of the NBA. Being in this situation requires the following of three to four of my “six rules to mediocrity.”
- Your team has no hope at winning a championship in the immediate future
- Your team doesn’t have a superstar, a true number one option on a championship team.
- Your team doesn’t have a potential superstar; a young player far from superstardom but on the path.
- Your team isn’t bad enough to acquire a top draft pick.
- Relating to four, your team doesn’t have any extra draft capital.
- Your team doesn’t have significant cap space moving forward.
Let’s see how many of the boxes the Pistons check. The Pistons aren’t winning a ring this season; the playoffs aren’t even a guarantee. Blake Griffin isn’t a superstar and they have nobody else close. Detroit will be competitive, especially considering Dwayne Casey’s tendencies. This limits their draft position. The Pistons’ only expiring contracts are inconsequential.
How do I put this cordially: The Detroit Pistons are ____ed.
When your top three players are criminally overpaid (Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson) making a combined $75M in 2019, with Griffin extended through 2022. The Pistons are locked into cap space, with $121M on the books currently and $113M next season. Dwayne Casey is a great regular season coach and will ensure this roster doesn’t tank. Conversely, his track record doesn’t suggest much playoff success.
Piston Powered
Enough ripping on Detroit. This series is about the Pacers, after all. As horrible a situation they’re their organization is in, this roster is built to make a run at the playoffs in 2019. A starting five of Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard, Reggie Bullock, Blake Griffin, and Andre Drummond is solid.
The engine of this roster is Griffin, acquired in a blockbuster move last season. Once mentioned in the same breath as some of the top players in the NBA, his fall from grace has been less than spectacular. He struggled mightily in his first month in Detroit, getting acclimated to playing with his new team. In his last month of the season, Griffin increased his splits to 21.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game. The starkest increase is his three-point percentage; he shot 43.5% in March as compared to 25.8% in February. Griffin’s assist numbers have increased well. Using his gravity as a playmaker opened up Detroit’s offense.
Griffin’s three-point shot opens up his post up game, where he uses a combination of strength, touch, and footwork to generate scores:
His gravity down low opens up open shots on the perimeter when defenders get caught ball watching or overhelping:
His trademark athleticism isn’t what it was before his myriad of injuries but he still has major bounce and explosiveness in his legs.
Griffin is certainly a handful to deal with on the defensive end. Thaddeus Young could do a decent job on Griffin one on one but there will be times when he doesn’t have enough. Indiana will need to rely on help defense and using the Pistons’ potential lack of spacing to their advantage.
After Blake Griffin joined the Pistons, their defensive rating sat at 10th in the NBA at 104.5. Anchored by Andre Drummond and some excellent team defensive philosophy, the Pistons can be a hassle to deal with at times on the offensive end.
Drummond is the engine of this defense. He mitigates the poor Ish Smith closeout here, swatting Serge Ibaka at the rim.
The Pistons, Reggie Bullock specifically, do an excellent job blowing up the screen on the ATO and Drummond finishes the job with the smart help side rotation.
Stanley Johnson does a great job forcing Josh Jackson away from the ball screen, right into the waiting hand of Andre Drummond. Drummond’s mobility and IQ make him a formidable defender in the pick and roll.
Ish Smith fights over the screen, negating any room that Elfrid Payton created to operate. Alex Len pseudo screens Drummond but his effort and athleticism allow him to put in a solid contest on Bender.
Detroit’s defense does such an excellent job of guarding pick and rolls; Johnson seamlessly fights over the screen and the Pistons get the shot they want, a three from a bad shooter. Payton’s inability to shoot allows Jackson to sink farther in the paint to help and still recover in time.
The Pistons contain Ricky Rubio on the baseline, then Anthony Tolliver runs Alec Burks off of the three point line, forcing a tough floater. Tolliver was such a versatile, valuable asset: Detroit was foolish to let him go.
One way Indiana could exploit Detroit’s defense is finding isolations and pick and rolls with poor defenders. Here the Rockets involve a poor one on one defender in Luke Kennard in a pick and roll, leading to an easy shot in the lane by Harden.
Victor Oladipo being aggressive and attacking the Pistons head on and exploiting matchups will be one of the best ways to reliable score on Detroit. Planting Myles Turner in the corner is a major key as well in order to move Andre Drummond out of the paint, negating his rim-protecting presence.
That bad defensive play, ironically, helps me segue into the last point of this piece, Luke Kennard. A lottery pick in 2017, Kennard is a gifted offensive player with plenty of potential. He is a great shooter with good footwork and is on my shortlist for the most improved player. Detroit doesn’t have a reliable perimeter option on the roster; Kennard could become that guy.
And hey, Maybe Glenn Robinson III bounces back with his new team.
The Pistons are tough. They have a tough, gritty culture and are a team that nobody will want to play. Limiting Blake Griffin’s effectiveness and attacking their weaker defensive players will be the keys for Indiana defeating their Motor City rivals on any given night.