Pistons’ defensive problems can be attributed to youth, Corey Maggette

The Pistons have been spotty defensively this season, and though they’ve improved on that end, they still rank 22nd in defensive rating. In the chaos of Detroit trying to stop other teams, it can be difficult to tell exactly that’s happening. Thankfully, someone smarter than me examined the Pistons and came away with two major takeaways about their defense. Michael Pina of Shaky Ankles:

"Their defense is frantic, especially when they go to a zone (which happens a relatively decent amount). They scramble constantly, chasing a basketball traveling through the air like a cat trying to murder a set of floating car keys. Too many times they have two players close out on one shooter, leaving one of said shooter’s teammates wide open on the perimeter. Some of this can be attributed to youth, and some of it can be attributed to having Corey Maggette on the court 15 minutes per game."

I highly recommend clicking through to see the video and screenshots Pina pulled to support his conclusions.