Detroit Pistons Stock Exchange: recapping the season’s second week
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“Point Bruce”
Brown went from scapegoat to hero in the span of 24 hours. After a miserable six games that saw Brown have more turnovers than baskets, he got an emergency start at point guard and had his best game of the season. Brown looked much more comfortable running the offense than playing off the ball and used an explosive first step to get into the lane for floaters and layups.
He ended the game with 22 points and 7 assists, but most importantly, 0 turnovers. Brown’s size and strength are much more apparent at the point guard position and many of the Pistons’ possessions started with Brown backing his man into the post. Brown did this while harassing Kyrie Irving, who ended the game with a triple double, but was never able to get into a rhythm offensively.
It was an overall strong performance for Brown, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. He was very inefficient, needing 20 shots to get his 22 points and going 0-4 from behind the arc. He made up for it by getting to the line and hitting 6 of 8. Ideally Brown will not take more shots in a game than Luke Kennard, but it was promising and exciting to see him step up and have a good game in the face of heavy criticism.
If nothing else, Brown showed that he can run the offense competently, which should hopefully mean less action for Frazier, who is undersized and hasn’t played well as a fill-in for Jackson. I’m not ready to call Brown the point guard of the future by any means, but the Pistons must feel better about their second-year guard than they did mid-week.
Andre Drummond’s Contract
Drummond put up his third 20-20 game in a row and fourth of the season, hanging 25 points and 20 boards on the Nets while also adding 5 blocks, 3 steals and 6 assists. Yes, his turnovers are up and have been a problem, but otherwise Drummond has looked like one of the top centers in the NBA and well worth a maximum contract extension.
Related Story. Andre Drummond wants to stay in Detroit. light
Drummond has improved his offensive game every year he’s been in the league, but his defense this season has been most eye opening. Drummond is getting his hands on everything and is 6th in the NBA in deflections per game . Andre is wreaking havoc on pick and rolls, and jumping passing lanes for steals, which he did last night, leading to a breakaway dunk.
Drummond’s durability is also not to be overlooked. He’s been the only constant for a team plagued by injuries and inconsistency and there is something to be said for a guy who is always ready to lace them up and play big minutes.
Andre has expressed that he wants to stay in Detroit and the Pistons should grant his wish. There aren’t many big men in the NBA who can do what Drummond does and it’s time to show some appreciation for what we are witnessing.
Dwane Casey
Casey has taken plenty of heat this year. His rotations have been questioned, people have complained loudly about his use of Thon Maker and Christian Wood’s lack of minutes. He’s not getting Kennard enough shots, his offense is predictable, the Pistons are playing poor defense etc. While there is some validity to all these complaints, Casey has done an admirable job getting the Pistons to a 3-4 record without the services of Griffin and Jackson and facing a tough schedule that already had two back-to-backs.
The Pistons are not deep, losing Griffin and Jackson, the team’s top play makers is not a small deal. Casey has had to plug back-ups like Frazier, Markieff Morris, Wood and Maker into much more prominent roles than he would like and I’m sure he would not speak kindly of his own team’s defense, but overall Casey has made the most out of a tough situation.
It would have been easy to lose the team after so many injuries, even this early in the season. Instead the Pistons have showed some fight and played a spirited game against the Nets on the second night of a back-to-back with most of their best players on the bench.
If Casey is going to take the brunt of the heat for bad Detroit losses, then he has to get some of the credit when they win a game that they probably shouldn’t have.
He has adjusted quicker in the game, as well as between games, mostly out of necessity, but the Pistons seem much more agile and flexible than they were last season. There’s obviously still big room for improvement.
The Pistons have to clean up their turnovers, play better team defense and get more out of half-court sets, but Casey must be commended for keeping his team focused and intense, even when they are undermanned or playing poorly.