Pistons Playbook: Three Point Defense

In this version of Pistons Playbook, we look at the Detroit Pistons’ ongoing problems with defending the three-point line.

Early in the year, we noted that Detroit was struggling mightily in preventing corner three attempts. Unfortunately, for the Pistons and Stan Van Gundy, things have only become worse.

It has been well established that three-point defense is more about preventing attempts than anything.

Defenses only have a certain amount of control on whether a shot goes in. But a sound defensive scheme and strong attention to detail can have a significant impact on whether teams are able to attempt shots from behind the arc.

In Detroit’s case, a faulty defensive scheme and lack of attention to basic movement has been disastrous and led to opponents shooting an inordinate amount of three-point attempts.

Opponents have continued to feast in the corner – the Pistons rank third-worst in the league in corner threes allowed as a percentage of total attempts.

That number is particularly damaging given that the deep ball from the corner is such a high-percentage and valuable shot.

Detroit ranks even worse in allowing spot-up attempts, rating second worst in the league.

It’s one thing to concede shots that are coming out of isolation. The Pistons are allowing most of these shots to come off ball movement, though.

The problem is real.

Equally frustrating is that the solution is relatively simple.

A Problematic Defensive Scheme

The defensive scheme has led to many of the problems that Detroit has experienced. The Pistons consistently dedicate multiple players to helping in the paint even when the opponent is well defended.

When Malcolm Delaney passed to John Collins out of a pick-and-roll trap, Collins easily found an open shooter for an in-rhythm three:

After the failed trap, Detroit was left to defend four Hawks with three players. That, in and of itself, is difficult, though understandable. Traps aren’t always going to be successful and so there needs to be a well-defined plan for when opponents beat it. The Pistons’ plan is almost always to collapse on the roll man, like they did here. The result is devastating:

Collins has three easy passes here. He opts for the wing man, but he could have just as easily found the two Hawks who are sitting wide open in the corners.

There’s simply no way to defend the three-point line consistently when you are constantly sending multiple players at the roll man like this, especially when you’re already a man short defensively.

The Pistons also give up a lot of corner threes on really standard dribble penetration, like they did against the Celtics here:

Notice how Anthony Tolliver is sitting in the paint before the drive even really begins.

That is wholly schematic, and you’ll see it on nearly every possession. Marcus Smart attacks that side of the paint knowing that Tolliver will commit to him.

Blake Griffin helps as well, so both Al Horford and Kyrie Irving are standing alone, waiting for the pass off penetration. Horford gets it this time and knocks down an open three.

Teams like the Hawks have picked up on these tendencies and exploited them like Delaney did here:

As Delaney dribbles into a weak trap, he knows that Tolliver will be cheating towards the paint, especially with Collins rolling to the rim.

He’s so confident that he leaves his feet and immediately turns and throws a pass to the opposite corner, knowing that his teammate would be left alone.

Sure enough, it results in another corner three against Detroit.

The implications of this scheme reach further than just three-point defense, too.

Dwayne Dedmon converted a weakly-contested defense as a result of Tolliver’s indecision here:

Tolliver starts in his normal position, straddling the lane. When Dedmon rolls to the rim, both Tolliver and Luke Kennard shift toward the middle of the paint to cut him off.

Both are indecisive, though, because they know they have left open shooters on the weak side of the floor.

Neither Kennard nor Tolliver fully commits and Dedmon hits a layup that should have been better contested.

Inattention to Detail

Compounding the Pistons’ three-point defensive issues are the numerous mental lapses that persist every game.

Against the Pelicans, Griffin completely loses Nikola Mirotic who has half a day to think about knocking down his shot:

Mirotic started out showing like he was going to screen, but when Ian Clark declined to use the screen, Griffin inexplicably watches Clark rather than focusing on Mirotic, who is his responsibility.

In the same game, Stanley Johnson completely loses Rajon Rondo who ends up knocking down a wide open corner three:

Rondo simply jogs towards the corner and Johnson decides to do his own thing, circle around in the paint, and leave his man unguarded.

In a Boston loss, a simple screen completely confuses Ish Smith and Reggie Bullock, who leave Jayson Tatum wide open to convert a shot from behind the arc:

Simple communication would have solved this problem. With Irving being such a big threat to shoot and drive, Bullock’s switch makes sense here. Smith trailing him from behind does not. Smith needs to recognize this better and fall back to Tatum so he can at least somewhat contest this shot.

Veteran addition Jameer Nelson‘s attention to detail hasn’t been a whole lot better, as evidenced in this play against the Pelicans:

Nelson goes over an Anthony Davis screen, which is fine. But then he makes no attempt to recover. Instead, he simply trails the ball handler so that the Pistons are dedicating two men without putting any significant pressure on the ball.

Reggie Bullock is left defending the two Pelicans on the weak side and simple ball movement yields a wide open corner three.

The schematic and attentive issues relating to Detroit’s three-point defense have infected the team throughout the season and nothing has been done about it on any level.

Unless that changes immediately, the Pistons will continue to be on the outside of the playoff pictures with no real way of sneaking in.