Blake Griffin’s injury is forcing the Detroit Pistons to play without its star for the first two weeks of the NBA season. How bad will the Pistons be without him?
This offseason, the Detroit Pistons’ front office prioritized adding depth in order to take pressure off power forward Blake Griffin, who largely carried the scoring load for the Pistons and also served as one of the team’s key facilitators last season.
Another major reason the organization sought to add depth was to add some insurance in case its star forward missed time due to injury.
As it turns out, Detroit’s newfound depth will be needed sooner than expected.
On Tuesday the team announced that Griffin will miss the start of the 2019-20 season with “left hamstring and posterior knee soreness,” according to a press release.
The injury deals a major blow to the Pistons, who will be forced to play without its star for at least the first two weeks of the season.
Although Detroit has significantly upgraded its depth with the additions of Derrick Rose, Tony Snell, Markieff Morris, and others, it remains to be seen whether the team can stay afloat in Griffin’s absence.
Without Griffin starting at power forward, Detroit’s projected starting five looks like this:
PG: Reggie Jackson
SG: Bruce Brown
SF: Tony Snell
PF: Markieff Morris
Even with Rose and Luke Kennard providing some firepower off the bench, this unit leaves much to be desired. It lacks a true, go-to scorer and loses another reliable perimeter shooter, while also forcing most of the playmaking duties onto Jackson.
It’s not difficult to see just how valuable Griffin is to Detroit, as his absence instantly turns a playoff roster into a bottom-tier team in terms of talent.
Even as Griffin had arguably the best season of his career in 2018-19, Detroit was still a mediocre team on the offensive end, where Griffin has the most impact. Despite averages of 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game on 46.2 percent shooting from the field and a career-high 36.2 percent from three, the Pistons still ranked in the bottom third of the league in points per game, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, and assists per game.
Many of Detroit’s offensive woes were a result of the team’s lack of depth and 3-point shooting, which has been addressed by the front office. But it’s fair to question whether the addition of a few role players can account for Griffin’s one-of-a-kind contributions on the court.
How are Grffin’s contributions “one-of-a-kind,” you may ask? According to NBA.com, there were only two players last season to average at least 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game: Blake Griffin and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Griffin, however, was the only player in the NBA to average at least 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game on at least 36.0 percent shooting from three.
Depth alone can’t make up for his absence. Griffin poses a unique threat to opposing defenses and possesses a gravitational pull on the offensive end that helps generate quality looks for teammates and allows the offense to run more effectively.
Newly acquired Snell and Morris add value to the Pistons roster, to be sure, but don’t provide the sort of versatility or scoring ability that Griffin brings on a night-to-night basis.
It will be a significant adjustment for the coaching staff to formulate an offensive game plan without a go-to scorer – specifically, without a player who averages 20-plus points per game. Out of all 30 NBA teams last season, only five – Atlanta, Cleveland, Miami, New York, and Indiana – finished the season without a player averaging 20-plus points per game, and only one of those teams made the playoffs.
As much as coaches and executives may preach about the benefits of team basketball, nearly every team needs a player to shoulder the lion’s share of the scoring load in order to be successful.
Detroit’s offense will face a significant obstacle in finding its offensive identity without Griffin.
Without Griffin, Jackson, Rose, and Kennard stand as Detroit’s main scoring threats, but head coach Dwane Casey will have to get creative with his rotations in order to maximize the contributions of three guards.
More from PistonPowered
- Which Detroit Pistons could save Team USA in the Olympics?
- Detroit Pistons could have major roster churn after 2023-24 season
- The best Detroit Pistons to wear each uniform number
- Full Detroit Pistons NBA 2K24 ratings
- Detroit Pistons: Who will sign the remaining NBA free agents?
Having the main shot creators in the backcourt will also make it difficult for Detroit to keep two scoring threats on the court at all times, making it much easier for opposing defenses to stymie the Pistons offense.
While the first two weeks of the season will serve as a true barometer of just how bad the Griffin-less Pistons are, it’s fair to assume that, given the current roster, Detroit is going to struggle. The team is simply not built to operate without Griffin, even if the added depth softens the blow.
Detroit will only find success if players like Drummond, Kennard, Rose, and Jackson are at their very best to start the season. Their contributions will be key to setting the tone in Griffin’s absence.
Regardless, Pistons fans should prepare for a tough first stretch of the 2019-20 season. For better or for worse, Griffin’s health is going to be one of the biggest reasons for Detroit’s success this season, so the less time he misses, the better.
For now, Detroit will have to rely on the rest of its roster to shoulder the load and avoid stumbling out of the gates to start the season.