Stan Van Gundy’s challenge? Piece together the Detroit Pistons puzzle
Sometimes optimism can be hard to come by.
It’s not that it’s difficult to be optimistic — that’s generally a sport’s fans greatest trait — it’s that sometimes you’re beaten down to the point where optimism itself seems optimistic.
It would be naïve to call it hope, but the Pistons will enter this season with a legitimate chance to prove that its fan base has real reason to be optimistic. It started when Stan Van Gundy was hired last year and it continues as he prepares for season two with the Pistons’ best shot yet at breaking out of their six season playoff drought.
That doesn’t say much when you consider where this franchise has been over that span but, at the same time, it shows that the Pistons are at least being built into something tangible. It’s something you can actually see taking shape.
The Pistons enter the season different. I don’t know if that equates to the team being better or worse, but Van Gundy will have his team. Last season, he started with a pile of Joe Dumars’ mistakes plus Caron Butler and Jodie Meeks thrown in for the sake of change.
It was a pile of puzzle pieces that just didn’t fit together.
Van Gundy’s team might not be as glamorous this time around, but for where the Pistons want to be this season, they don’t need it to shine. They need it to fit. They need it to work.
And that’s Van Gundy’s greatest challenge.
The Pistons backcourt – however uninspiring it may be – appears set to look similar to what they went with last season. Van Gundy is going to have to continue to space the floor and allow Reggie Jackson as much space as possible.
Jackson can help himself by proving the reported improvement he’s shown in his jumper is more than summer smoke. But even if that’s not the case, Jackson will likely spend all of his time on the floor with three players who can step out and shoot the ball.
The same will apply to the backup combination of Spencer Dinwiddie and Steve Blake.
It’d be unrealistic to expect a ton from either player, but both should fit into the same role that Jackson and Brandon Jennings flourished in, at times, last season. Whatever Detroit gets from Jennings is a bonus at this point.
historically Van Gundy hasn’t called upon his shooting guards to do much more than make open shots, defend and be in the right spot to space the floor offensively.
The shooting guards, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jodie Meeks, are in position to succeed if they show they’re capable of making shots. It sounds simple, but historically Van Gundy hasn’t called upon his shooting guards to do much more than make open shots, defend and be in the right spot to space the floor offensively.
The obvious exception to that rule is Dwyane Wade in Miami but, outside of that, Van Gundy has gotten the job done with the likes of Eddie Jones, J.J. Redick, Courtney Lee, Keith Bogans and James Posey.
The frontcourt is going to be among the biggest question marks. We know what Andre Drummond does well as the center, but we’re still waiting on that true breakout season. It was probably a little premature to expect Van Gundy to walk in and turn Drummond into an All-Star.
But by the time the Pistons had moved the pieces around and acquired Jackson, he began showing signs.
Drummond averaged 16.1 points, 14.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game over the final 28 games. He showed good chemistry with his point guard — which is essentially the key to Van Gundy pushing this group to the next level — and even began showing signs of a competent hook shot.
When you’re as big and athletic as Drummond is, you really only need one move to be a scoring threat.
The big man is the key, that’s no shock. It’s how the rest of the cavalcade of new options at power forward fit that may be the most difficult to predict. I’m not convinced Marcus Morris can play small forward full time and that will be a challenge for Van Gundy.
Morris is going to struggle defensively at times with quicker wing players, but he’s going to provide unique challenges to opposing defenses with his size (6-foot-9) and shooting ability.
It’s been a theme, but he has to find ways for a talented player to fit. Morris is going to struggle defensively at times with quicker wing players, but he’s going to provide unique challenges to opposing defenses with his size (6-foot-9) and shooting ability.
Morris is also going to be able to give the Pistons another look alongside Drummond at power forward. The primary option there, Ersan Ilyasova, has the same shooting ability and is a better rebounder.
The same applies to Anthony Tolliver, who spaces the floor but struggles with rebounding and defending bigger post players over long stretches — shown by his late-season appearances as the starting power forward.
Van Gundy’s biggest question isn’t going to be on the offensive end — that’s going to be pick, pop and fire or pick, roll and lob/pass out — but it’ll be on the boards and defensively. None of those forwards are as good rebounding as Monroe.
That means Drummond and, to a lesser extent, Aron Baynes are tasked with commanding the glass nightly. That’s not a problem for Drummond, but it’s a weakness that Van Gundy must alleviate or hide — and he has options.
He’ll never get credit, but Monroe improved defensively within Van Gundy’s system last season. He was left switching on screen and rolls far less and was tasked more with trying to out-body players down low. He wasn’t great, but he was replacement level on that end.
That’s what Van Gundy has to get out of his trio of forwards, and he obviously needs improvement from Drummond as a rim protector.
And this all goes without mentioning rookie Stanley Johnson. It’s tough to peg where Van Gundy will utilize a player who appears ready to help now. I feel like it would be a mistake to start Johnson when the idea is that a Drummond-Jackson attack will be the primary offense.
That leaves Johnson — along with Caldwell-Pope and Ilyasova — camping out for perimeter shots. That’s not his strong suit right now, and it just so happens to be the perfect role for Morris.
Johnson’s strengths seem to compliment the Pistons weaknesses. He’s a good rebounder for his position and seems ready to defend NBA wings.
It’ll be interesting to see where Van Gundy plays Johnson, a pretty major piece in this team’s puzzle.
There are plenty of questions with this team, but for the first time since Flip Saunders we can say it’s led by a coach with a track record of answering those questions.
Van Gundy’s biggest question is how far he can take this group now.
Next: Pistons talk with The Instant Offense Podcast