Just two NBA teams opened this season the same starting lineup they used most last year:
- Oklahoma City Thunder (Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins)
- Detroit Pistons (Brandon Knight, Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince, Greg Monroe,
Andre Drummond(Dan’s wishful thinking … that should’ve painfully, obviously, said Jason Maxiell)
This makes sense. Both these teams were so successful last season, there’s no need to change.
- Oklahoma City Thunder: 47-19 record, NBA Finals appearance
- Detroit Pistons: 25-41 record, missed playoffs
Oh.
Well, at least the Pistons’ starters are younger and therefore have more potential.
- Oklahoma City Thunder starters’ average age: 25
- Detroit Pistons’ starters’ average age: 26
Uh.
Look, I don’t bring this up to say the Pistons keeping their starters the same in necessarily wrong. And it’s worth noting, if not for injuries, other teams – definitely the Memphis Grizzlies – would join this list.
But it’s discouraging how stagnant the Pistons seem. I think we all want to get encouraged about this team, but an 0-5 start from the same starting lineup as last year isn’t going to excite any fans.
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