3 takeaways from the Detroit Pistons 108-101 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder

Opening up the offense

Keeping the theme and once again referencing back to the future absence of Drummond, it created an interesting wrinkle in the Pistons offensive game plan tonight.

Detroit currently ranks 5th in the entire league in three-point percentage at 37.0 percent. This hasn’t necessarily amounted to much though given its relativity to the volume at which they’re shooting them.

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?

They rank 20th in the league in three-pointers attempted with just 31.8 per game. Tonight against Oklahoma City they shot 38.

So sure, it’s only seven more attempted three-pointers than their season average, and we should wait for another week or so to see if the trend continues but, it’s certainly interesting.

The Pistons were able to operate in a 5-out setting at multiple points throughout this game. This is something that they could never do with Drummond, given his inability to space the floor. However with Maker and Wood, this possibility opens up.

Whether it’s through a series of screens, pick and pops, or a designed set, Detroit can get more creative on offense if they’re able to play along the perimeter with more regularity.

While it’s important to note that the Pistons were abysmal from three-point range tonight, shooting just 28 percent, the potential is there. They missed a considerable amount of open looks.

As the season moves along, in all honesty Detroit will have less to lose. Experimenting with a slightly tweaked offense scheme that incentives even more perimeter play could be something to look for.