Detroit Pistons’ starters are a top 10 unit says CBS
The Detroit Pistons have assembled some of the best talent in the NBA. Their projected starters are particularly talented, but where do they rank among the NBA? According to CBS Sports, the Pistons have one of the top 10 group of starters in the league.
The Detroit Pistons rounded out their starting lineup by adding Tobias Harris at the trade deadline last season. The starters with Harris in the lineup were much improved. In fact, after acquiring Harris, the Pistons won at a rate that would equate to 52 wins over an 82 game season.
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So how good are the Pistons starters? According to CBS sports, the unit is top 10.
"9. Detroit PistonsPROJECTED LINEUP: Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marcus Morris, Tobias Harris, Andre DrummondThis was the Pistons’ second-most used lineup last season and it was only together for 25 games. But it showed a vast improvement in shot making from the Pistons’ starting lineup prior to the Tobias Harris trade. Both were about the same effectiveness overall but this lineup didn’t have a ton of time to gel.Now they’ll have an entire training camp and preseason together. The defense should improve and their effective field goal percentage should be above last year’s 52.8 percent. Stan Van Gundy trusts every single player in this lineup to do what he asks of them and that will go a long way. They just have to hit shots. Simple as that."
For perspective this is how the top 15 lineups shake out:
15. Chicago Bulls: Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Mirotic, Robin Lopez
14. New York Knicks: Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, Joakim Noah
13. Dallas Mavericks: Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes, Dirk Nowitzki, Andrew Bogut
12. Minnesota Timberwolves: Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, Gorgui Dieng, Karl-Anthony Towns
11. Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Evan Turner, Al-Farouq Aminu, Mason Plumlee
10. Atlanta Hawks: Dennis Schroder, Kent Bazemore, Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap, Dwight Howard
9. Detroit Pistons: Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marcus Morris, Tobias Harris, Andre Drummond
8. Memphis Grizzlies: Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Chandler Parsons, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol
7. Boston Celtics: Isiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson, Al Horford
6. Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, DeMarre Carroll, Patrick Patterson, Jonas Valanciunas
5. Utah Jazz: George Hill, Rodney Hood, Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert
4. San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol
3. Los Angeles Clippers: Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Luc Mbah a Moute, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith, LeBron James, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson
1. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Zaza Pachulia
These rankings feel about right. I could make the argument that due to the uncertainty of the players returning from injury for the Grizzlies that the Pistons could actually be the eigth best unit, but then again, the Pistons only have a half season of sample size to go off of.
That said, I only expect the Pistons’ starters to get better as their chemistry, basketball IQ, and individual skills improve.
Next: The Pistons think they can match up with anyone
What do you think Pistons fans?