1. Health is a factor
Griffin was voted a top 15 player in the NBA last year, being named to the All-NBA Third Team. It appeared as if he was healthy heading into training camp and preseason but his knee flared up or wasn’t ready, so he missed the first 10 games and it took him another 10 to start to look like himself.
Jackson was coming off a career-high 82 games played last season and had a healthy offseason but is dealing with back issues since the second game of the season. Rose, the Pistons new toy for the season, has dealt with his own injuries and load management trying to keep him healthy for the long-haul.
Only the load management with Rose was something Pistons fans knew ahead of the season. The Griffin and Jackson injuries are unfortunate, as the Pistons will have likely played 25 games before Jackson returns (he’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks), and it will be more than that until he’s up to game speed.
This certainly hasn’t been the start to the season the Pistons saw happening, and the players’ and coaches frustration is evident of that. Everyone knows what’s ahead in the back-half of the season and that this early portion of the season is the opportunity for Detroit to jump out ahead of its opponents.
Their only hope is to bond together, get and stay healthy and take care of business when they can.