After getting swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers last year, the Detroit Pistons have retooled their bench and are positioned for a successful run in the 2016-2017 season.
It had been six long, grueling seasons before last year when the Detroit Pistons clinched their playoff berth. Although the drought ended, the team was taken down quickly by LeBron James and company in a mere four games. The Piston’s playoff run ended quickly, but after a productive offseason the Pistons are positioned to put up a fight.
Throughout the year the Pistons proved they could beat any team. They displayed that when they handed the Golden State Warriors one of their nine losses. Even though the team was solid, they were still inconsistent, and lacked a solid second unit. When the starters left the floor, the bench had a tendency to give up leads or allow the deficit to grow. This forced coach Van Gundy to often leave Marcus Morris or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on the floor. The team needed more firepower.
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Stanley Johnson proved he could play as a sixth man, Aron Baynes was solid as Andre Drummond‘s backup, and the emergence of Reggie Bullock helped the club tremendously. It takes more than three pieces to build a bench though, and that’s why coach Van Gundy made the second unit a priority.
Steve Blake was only a Piston for a year, but it felt like a decade. Steve Blake struggled offensively and was a liability on the defensive end. The Pistons were outscored by 3.7 points per 100 possessions with Steve Blake in; in comparison, with Reggie Jackson on the floor the team outscored the opposition by 1.6 per 100 possessions.
This is why the team addressed their need at point early. After striking out with Al Horford, the team quickly moved on and made an early splash by signing point guard Ish Smith to a three-year $18 million deal. Smith showed flashes of brilliance with the Philadelphia 76ers, but was overshadowed by the Sixers’ dismal record. Smith is a quick guard with the play making ability that the second unit is in desperate need of. A mediocre roster forced Smith to try do too much often exposing his flaws. Smith is a solid rotation player that can excel in limited minutes. Former teammate Marcus Morris took to Twitter to express his excitement:
We just got better baby! Shout out to my guy @ishsmith signing with us . Happy for you baby.. #DetroitBasketball
— Marcus Morris (@MookMorris2) July 1, 2016
After signing Smith, the Pistons needed to address their need for a backup power forward. The club decided to let Anthony Tolliver walk, and signed Jon Leuer to a four-year $44 million deal. Leuer is a career 37 percent shooter from deep and fits perfectly into Stan Van Gundy’s system. When Smith and Leuer were being introduced to the media for the first time on Friday, Van Gundy mentioned that a glaring issue in the Cleveland series was the lack of size defending Kevin Love. Leuer is someone who can step right in and go toe-to-toe with a player like Love.
Days later Van Gundy went out and signed Spurs big man, Boban Marjanovic to a three-year $21 million deal. With Baynes likely to opt out next year in an attempt to cash in on the second year of an exploding salary cap, Van Gundy secured his backup center for the two years to follow. In nine minutes a game, Boban averaged 5.5 points per game and 3.4 rebounds a game. The 7-foot-3 big man played very well in his given time, and may be ready to take the next step under coach Van Gundy.
There is reason to be excited for the upcoming season: Tobias Harris is here for a full year, the team has gained playoff experience, added depth, and the young core can now build on their chemistry knowing they’re all going to be playing together again. The Pistons look like they’re capable of putting up a fight with any team in the East now.
Next: It's time for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to shine for the Pistons
The Pistons got bigger and better, with more depth and are on the cusp of another successful campaign. The team has potentially their most complete starting lineup since 2005, and an upgraded second unit. The Cavs will most likely be the first seed next year, but with seeds two-through-eight up in the air, what is to stop Detroit from taking the next step?