The Detroit Pistons cannot be successful as currently built. It was a growing truth that became crystal clear in their Tuesday night meeting against the Milwaukee Bucks as the Pistons dropped to 16-19 after a crushing 98-121 loss.
By the last minutes of the third quarter, an airball-three from Jose Calderon spelled out the nature of the game for the Detroit Pistons. Empty possessions, poor rotations and another tick in the loss column for coach Dwane Casey, whose philosophy has started to look more far-fetched than genius.
Andre Drummond had another forgettable night against the Milwaukee Bucks. He was at his best in early stage-garbage time when he swiped a pass and converted with an easy dunk on the other end.
It was at the end of the third and the Detroit Pistons were already down around 20 points. Milwaukee’s stronghold was deep and unwavering as Detroit attempted to mount small-scale comebacks throughout the second half.
Coach Casey tossed Reggie Jackson back in the game – after an impressive first half – in the fourth quarter, but Jackson went down soon after as he landed awkwardly after an acrobatic finish around the rim.
Jackson likely avoided injury as he walked himself to the sideline, but it was a scare the Detroit Pistons do not need. So, why was he in?
Why were any of the starters for the Detroit Pistons on the floor in the fourth while the Bucks boasted a 24-point lead?
Casey resorted to switching around the lineups early on, but both Reggie Bullock and Blake Griffin were on the floor in a game that everyone but Detroit realized was over.
Brook Lopez was a three-point sniper Tuesday night against the Pistons, as he shot 7-of-12 from beyond the arc and exited the game with 25 points with just over four minutes left on the game clock. Giannis Antetokounmpo was fairly quiet by the standards of his MVP season thus far and only contributed 15 points on a solid 6-of-11 from the floor.
He only played 26 minutes in the game, but only needed that much time to do this.
Giannis will dunk on you. 😱#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/r7t00p8EZx
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 2, 2019
Yeah, things were that bad. Adding insult to injury, Pistons’ guards Calderon and Bruce Brown went blank from the floor as the guards hit zero of their 12 attempted field goals. Langston Galloway also laid an egg against the Milwaukee Bucks, as he failed to sink any of the seven shots he attempted.
The lack of offensive input from the players surrounding Blake Griffin highlight a glaring and growing problem for the Detroit Pistons.
Griffin shot 9-of-20 from the field, and without an all-star like performance from him EVERY NIGHT, the Pistons have a miniscule chance of winning basketball games.
Coach Dwane Casey has to know this by now, but has a philosophy that does not seem suited for the personnel he has at his disposal.
In a perfect world, the Detroit Pistons can use their length to make good defensive decisions, get up and down the floor, along with shooting a respectable percentage from the three-point line. In reality, the Pistons play selective defense, meddle around the bottom of the league in average offensive speed (4.5) and are 29th in the league in three-point shooting percentage (32.5 percent).
Casey’s reluctancy to alter the game plan, even if to suit a player like Reggie Jackson and his strengths, speaks to a change coming in the Motor City locker room.
The team is playing more like a franchise preparing for both a brand and roster rebuild. Let’s just hope the Detroit Pistons could make things look a little prettier while doing it.