Thanks to Wednesday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Detroit Pistons were officially eliminated from playoff contention. There are plenty of questions that surround this team heading into the summer. But first, here’s a look at what went wrong for the Pistons this year.
Take a deep breath. It’s over.
Mathematically, at least.
One of the more eventful seasons in Pistons’ history “concluded” on Wednesday night. A 115-108 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at Little Caesars Arena nixed their fading playoff hopes.
Yes, there are still four games that remain on the schedule. But once a team is eliminated from playoff contention, their season is pretty much over. Hence the reason I said “mathematically”.
With that in mind, here’s a look at what went wrong for the Pistons this season.
Life without Reggie
For the second consecutive year, the Detroit Pistons were without their starting point guard for an extended period of time.
Reggie Jackson suffered a Grade 3 right ankle sprain during a game against the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 26. Prior to the injury, he was averaging 14.6 points and 5.5 assists per game. Detroit would go on to win that night, improving to 19-14 overall.
The injury caused Jackson to miss the next 37 games. Detroit compiled a record of 12-25 in that span – including a costly eight-game losing streak in January.
With Jackson on the sideline, Detroit’s offensive attack took a hit. Most notably, the high screen and roll they run with Andre Drummond.
While serving as the ball handler in pick and roll situations, Jackson is scoring .927 points per possession this season. Back up point guard Ish Smith is scoring just .792 points per possession. That’s quite the disparity for a team that runs 15.3 percent of their plays through the pick and roll ball handler.
Since Jackson’s return on March 20, the Pistons are 6-2. And with his speed in the half court, that’s not hard to see why. But it was already too late. By the time he came back, the Pistons’ playoff hopes were long gone.
Depth at center, or lack thereof
Ever since the departure of Aron Baynes, there’s been a glaring hole at backup center. Boban Marjanovic was dealt in the mid-season trade that brought Blake Griffin to Detroit. This left the Pistons with Eric Moreland as the only true “center” behind Drummond.
To put it bluntly, Moreland was a disappointment. He struggled to catch entry passes, couldn’t make decisions with the ball, and wasn’t able to find any sort of rhythm offensively.
Granted, he is only averaging 11.3 minutes per game this season. But his per 36 numbers aren’t too reassuring: 5.7 points, 12.4 rebounds and 5.4 personal fouls per game.
While his metrics on the glass are encouraging, it’s been foul trouble that has plagued Moreland. Below are some examples of this problem.
For starters, Moreland completely leaves Tarik Black to double the ball handler. P.J. Tucker had gotten a step ahead of Tobias Harris. But Harris was close enough to contest a pull-up jumper. In this situation, it would’ve been better for Moreland to simply stay on his man. That way, Tucker would’ve had no option but to take an off-balanced shot. There’s simply no excuse for leaving your man open underneath the basket.
In this clip, Moreland actually does a good job collapsing onto Jaylen Brown. But for some reason, he jumps into him as Brown begins to elevate for a shot. Moreland could’ve easily stuck his hand out to poke the ball loose.
Sure, this could’ve resulted in a foul as well. But by jumping into the shooter, he gives himself no chance to even contest the shot. It’s one of the most obvious shooting fouls you’re ever going to see.
Whether it be in the draft, free agency, or through a trade, Detroit must find a replacement for Moreland.
The Blake Show
Let me explain.
Griffin is a highly-skilled basketball player. He is probably the most talented individual this franchise has seen since Grant Hill.
And therein lies the problem.
The Pistons had no business adding a player of that caliber. Particularly one on a max contract. At best, this current roster is a fringe playoff team. You don’t make these kinds of deals unless you’re contending for a championship.
Frankly, Griffin should be on a contender. He’s a 29-year-old ball-dominant, isolation scorer. The offense must revolve around him if it’s going to work. He commands deep post-ups, and takes his time when backing down a defender.
In addition, Griffin can serve as a point forward; meaning that he runs the offense like a guard. His ball handling ability is unique for somebody with his size.
But none of that fits into the offense that Stan Van Gundy has constructed over the last four seasons. No matter how much Griffin tries, he isn’t a 3-point shooter. Van Gundy has long searched for post players who can stretch the floor. Which makes the move all the more puzzling – and dangerous.
There’s no question that he and Drummond can strive together. However, the Pistons gave up plenty of depth to acquire him. That limits the amount of time the two can spend together on the floor.
The experiment didn’t work this season. Now that doesn’t mean that it can’t going forward.
But it’s going to be difficult adjusting this roster. The Pistons owe Jackson, Drummond and Griffin a combined total of just over $73 million next year. It would be an understatement to say that they’re strapped for cash. So the off-season might be over before it starts.
Mathematically speaking, of course.