It was a rough week for the Detroit Pistons, who didn’t win against weak competition. But there were some positive trends to go with the negatives.
Week 4 was undoubtedly the most disappointing of the season, as the Detroit Pistons dropped all three games and sapped whatever preseason optimism was left out of the fanbase.
The week started on an exciting note with Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose returning to the lineup, but the Pistons promptly lost 120-114 to the Timberwolves after getting down 15 early and not being able to dig their way out.
Griffin sat the next night against the shorthanded Heat and the Pistons got destroyed, losing 117-108 in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score would indicate. In both games the Pistons got down early and spent the entire game trying to claw their way back.
The most frustrating loss came to the lowly Hornets, 109-106, which was practically a must-win game given the Pistons’ schedule and position in the standings. Detroit built a comfortable 14-point first half lead and looked like they would cruise before falling apart in the second half, scoring just 18 points in the third and 23 in the fourth and losing on a buzzer beating 3-pointer.
The loss to the Hornets was especially painful, as Charlotte is a rebuilding team that is not really even trying to win, and Detroit should have been desperate for one. Poor defense and turnovers have continued to plague the Pistons and there is now enough of a sample size to say this is more than just an aberration. It wasn’t surprising that the team looked out of sync offensively while trying to integrate Griffin back into the rotation, but the team defense has been terrible all year and that is not likely to get better when Reggie Jackson returns.
Detroit dropped to 27th in defensive rating, 28th in opponents points off turnovers, 26th in points allowed in the paint and 29th in turnover percentage, according to NBA Stats. In other words, Detroit is not stopping anyone, turning the ball over way too much and giving up a lot of easy buckets. Andre Drummond and Bruce Brown are Detroit’s only above average defenders, so even at full strength it appears that defense is going to be a problem.
I predicted that the next 10 games would decide if Detroit was going to blow it up, and just one game in it appears as though that time is getting near. A depressing fourth week brought few positive trends for individual players but started the narratives that are likely to dominate the rest of the season, including whether the Pistons should trade Griffin and start over. Here’s the weekly stock exchange for Week 4.