CBS Sports took a look at the NBA’s bench units and gave the Detroit Pistons a middle-of-the-pack grade, an improvement for what many considered to be the worst bench in the NBA last year.
CBS Sports kicked off the week with a ranking of the NBA’s starting units, placing the Detroit Pistons’ starting five in ninth across the league, and they followed it up with a ranking of the NBA’s bench units. It’s become a reflex to cringe whenever the Pistons are brought up in the context of bench play, but thanks to a solid offseason that appears to be a thing of the past.
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The Pistons added Ish Smith, Jon Leuer, Boban Marjanovic, Ray McCallum, and drafted Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije, while parting ways with Steve Blake, Spencer Dinwiddie, Anthony Tolliver and Joel Anthony. That’s a significant amount of turnover in about five weeks’ time.
CBS Sports turned a favorable eye on what the Pistons accomplished this offseason. Zach Harper, Matt Moore, Ananth Pandian and James Herbert of CBS ranked every bench unit, and teams were ranked by the resulting composite score. The Pistons found themselves ranked better than average, coming in at 13th in the NBA.
Via CBS Sports:
"13. Detroit PistonsPROJECTED BENCH: Ish Smith, Stanley Johnson, Reggie Bullock, Jon Leuer, Boban MarjanovicOne vote for 26th. The rest of the votes were in the top half of the league. The concern is that Jon Leuer, Boban Marjanovic and Ish Smith don’t warrant big minutes for a second unit that was brutally bad last season. Reggie Bullock may fall into that category as well. But the promise of Stanley Johnson, who played so tough against LeBron James in the playoffs, gives you a ton of hope. He’s as tough as they come and is a better scorer than he showed in his rookie campaign. The Pistons’ bench couldn’t make shots a year ago. Will that be the case again this season?"
Related Story: Grading the Detroit Pistons offseason
The concerns may be well-placed, but the upside that Stanley Johnson looks to provide this season, particularly after a great summer, may give the bench a big boost.
The rest of the top 15 bench units break down as follows:
15. Indiana Pacers
PROJECTED BENCH: Aaron Brooks, Rodney Stuckey, C.J. Miles, Lavoy Allen, Al Jefferson
14. Denver Nuggets
PROJECTED BENCH: Jameer Nelson, Will Barton, Wilson Chandler, Joffrey Lauvergne, Jusuf Nurkic
13. Detroit Pistons
PROJECTED BENCH: Ish Smith, Stanley Johnson, Reggie Bullock, Jon Leuer, Boban Marjanovic
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
PROJECTED BENCH: Cameron Payne, Kyle Singler, Alex Abrines, Nick Collison, Enes Kanter
11. Houston Rockets
PROJECTED BENCH: Pablo Prigioni, Eric Gordon, Corey Brewer, Michael Beasley, Nene Hilario
10. New Orleans Pelicans
PROJECTED BENCH: Langston Galloway, E’Twaun Moore, Quincy Pondexter, Dante Cunningham, Alexis Ajinca, Terrence Jones, Buddy Hield
9. New York Knicks
PROJECTED BENCH: Brandon Jennings, Justin Holiday, Lance Thomas, Kyle O’Quinn, Willy Hernangomez
8. Chicago Bulls
PROJECTED BENCH: Jerian Grant, Tony Snell, Doug McDermott, Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis
7. Portland Trail Blazers
PROJECTED BENCH: Shabazz Napier, Allen Crabbe, Maurice Harkless, Ed Davis, Festus Ezeli
6. Cleveland Cavaliers
PROJECTED BENCH: Mo Williams, Iman Shumpert, Mike Dunleavy, Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye
5. San Antonio Spurs
PROJECTED BENCH: Patrick Mills, Manu Ginobili, Kyle Anderson, Jonathon Simmons, Dewayne Dedmon
4. Toronto Raptors
PROJECTED BENCH: Cory Joseph, Norman Powell, Terrence Ross, Jared Sullinger, Lucas Nogueira
3. Boston Celtics
PROJECTED BENCH: Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jonas Jerebko, Tyler Zeller, Kelly Olynyk
2. Golden State Warriors
PROJECTED BENCH: Shaun Livingston, Ian Clark, Andre Iguodala, David West, Anderson Varejao
1. Utah Jazz
PROJECTED BENCH: Dante Exum, Alec Burks, Joe Johnson, Trey Lyles, Boris Diaw
Next: The Pistons think they can match up with anyone
What do you guys think? Is a ranking of the Pistons’ bench barely in the teens (on the good side for once) reasonable?