Detroit Pistons: Three Piston players named in SI’s top 100 list
By Travis Gibbs
The Detroit Pistons had three players crack Sports Illustrated’s top 100 list in the NBA. Should they have been ranked higher?
Big publications in sports tend to generate a list of the NBA’s top players before the start of every year around this time to get fans engaged for the new season.
Sports Illustrated just recently generated a list of the league’s top 100 players. The list ranges from LeBron James to Lonzo Ball. Quite ironic if you ask the average fan.
Three players from the Detroit Pistons fall somewhere on this top 100 list. It might be surprising to you where each player landed as well.
The three players that made the list are Reggie Jackson, Blake Griffin, and Andre Drummond. This trio will determine the outcome of the 2018-2019 season for the Detroit Pistons.
It will be intriguing to see how head coach Dwane Casey intends to use all three of these players. There are plenty of question marks surrounding the core of Detroit’s team this season.
Jackson was ranked 97th on the list of the top 100 players in the league. Some of the players ranked ahead of him may concern you a bit. However, there’s plenty of reason to be skeptical of the Pistons’ starting point guard.
Here is what the combination of Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney had to say about him:
"“Stan Van Gundy bet the house on Jackson (14.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 5.3 APG) and lost. In 2015, the longtime coach targeted the stubborn, capable point guard as the centerpiece of a win-now spending spree aimed at fast-tracking the Pistons back to the postseason. The plan worked momentarily, as Jackson turned in a career year en route to the 2016 playoffs. But Jackson’s spotty health plunged Detroit back into the lottery in 2017 and 2018, and Van Gundy was fired in May. The final stats on the Jackson/Van Gundy marriage: $80 million, one playoff trip, zero playoff wins, two season-altering injuries, numerous post-game rants, and one desperate Blake Griffin trade that will likely clog Detroit’s books for years to come.”"
It’s one heck of a jab but it’s fair. Jackson’s health has been a big reason why Detroit has failed to reach the postseason in the last two years. There’s no telling whether or not he can stay healthy going forward.
Jackson is what makes this team click. It’s been proven time and time again. Say what you want about his numbers dropping off a bit this season. The Pistons were still much better with him starting at point guard than without.
The Pistons were 27-18 with him on the floor as opposed to 12-25 without him in the lineup.
Drummond is next on the top 100 list at 46th overall. He’s certainly had his critics over the last few seasons for many reasons. Drummond improved multiple facets of his game last season and earned himself an All-Star selection.
Here’s the breakdown on Detroit’s big man:
"Give Drummond (15 PPG, 16 RPG, 1.6 BPG) credit for seeking methods to evolve his game rather than settling for the dunk-and-rebound stereotype. Last season, the two-time All-Star center reclaimed his status as the NBA’s leading rebounder while also emerging as a capable distributor from the high post and a much-improved foul shooter. Then, in August, he vowed to add the three-point shot to his offensive repertoire after attempting just 30 total threes in his first six seasons.Unfortunately, Drummond’s explorative forays haven’t always produced clear progress in terms of his individual value or his team’s success. While his assist rate improved dramatically in 2017-18, so did his turnover rate. And while all sorts of centers are plotting how they can transform into stretch-fives, Drummond hasn’t exactly demonstrated much touch: He shot an abysmal 31.4% on shots from 3-10 feet and 28.6 from the mid-range last year. Frankly, the Pistons’ offense would be better off if he was never allowed to shoot from outside three feet.On the other end, the Drummond/Blake Griffin tandem fared well in a small sample size, providing some much-needed optimism for the wheel-spinning Pistons. Drummond, 25, might never fulfill his wildest dreams, but his size, durability, rebounding instincts and gradual refinements set him apart from replacement-level starting centers."
The biggest knock on Drummond’s game currently is that he’s not the prototypical ‘stretch five’ that we’re seeing spread across the NBA.
He’s not a great shooter. There’s no denying that he’s still not a great free throw shooter as well. The biggest thing to look at with Drummond is his progress. He’s become a better passer, a better rebounder, and is able to be on the floor now when it’s crunch time.
This off-season has been important to Drummond’s development. He’s clearly been trying to work on the shooting aspect of his game. He will put the league on notice if that area of his game becomes effective.
Griffin didn’t finish that much further up on the list. He’s ranked 41st overall in the top 100 list from Sports Illustrated.
Griffin was traded to Detroit in January after signing a mega deal with the Los Angeles Clippers. It was a trade between two teams that nobody really saw coming. Griffin came to Detroit while the Clippers received a lot in return.
Related Story. Players that need a good training camp. light
Griffin is in quite a difficult spot in his career. He’s been rattled with injuries over the past few years and is trying to evolve his game so he can get stay on the floor more often.
He’s not the player that he once was. Griffin will not be the guy playing around the rim and putting opposing players on posters anymore. Instead, he’s trying to play from the perimeter in more of a ‘point forward’ setting.
Here’s SI’s breakdown of Griffin:
"Last season, Griffin (21.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 5.8 APG) posted a points/rebounds/assists line that was matched only by a pair of MVPs: LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. But that superstar-like productivity came draped with red flags: Griffin missed at least 15 games for the fourth straight season, his teams were 28-30 with him on the court, he ranked outside the top-50 in Real Plus-Minus, and his PER and True Shooting % reached career-lows. Unfortunately, a midseason trade to Detroit failed to reverse these trends. That blockbuster deal was harsh and illuminating, as it marked the first time that the Clippers had treated Griffin—whose dynamic athleticism has flatlined due to a series of injuries—as a $173 million contract rather than as a franchise player.As Griffin has sought to modernize his game and protect his body by playmaking from the perimeter and shooting more threes, he’s triggered an identity crisis. After the trade to the Pistons, he took just 21% of his shots from within three feet, well off the 44% from his peak posterization days. Similarly, he attempted just 4.4 free throws per game after the trade, sharply down from 8.4 per game back when he was an MVP candidate. The overwhelming night-to-night physicality that once made Griffin so special appears gone for good at age 29, leaving him as a good-but-not-great scoring threat and an adequate defender."
Overall, not much of a positive outlook from the writers at Sports Illustrated on Detroit’s three best players. Here are some notable players that finished above Griffin and Drummond on the top 100 list:
This might surprise you. Here are some the players that finished above Jackson:
- Demarre Carroll
- Kelly Olynyk
- Kent Bazemore
- Taj Gibson
- Dennis Shroeder
Is it fair? Not completely. Jackson is one of the better point guards in the eastern conference when he’s healthy. That’s the kicker and the factor weighing into where he’s ranked on the list. Nationally, the Detroit Pistons aren’t receiving a lot of love.
It’s time to put up or shut up as they say. There’s a new coaching staff and a lot of new front office members. There’s no more excuses for the guys on the roster.