The Detroit Pistons blew out the Washington Wizards behind a big game from Josh Jackson and the bench.
The Pistons went up ten in the first quarter and never looked back, throttling the hapless Wizards from start to finish.
The Pistons “lost” a game on the Wizards in the battle for the worst record in the East and are now just 3.5 games “ahead” of Washington.
This was a game the Pistons probably would have liked to lose but someone forgot to tell the players, who did what they’ve been doing all season, which is playing competitive basketball no matter who the opponent is.
Here are three takeaways from the Pistons’ big win over the Wizards.
Detroit Pistons: The Pistons’ defense just keeps getting better
The Pistons’ offense has not been a thing of beauty this season but they are building a solid defensive foundation that will be their calling card as they continue to improve.
The defense has gotten markedly better since Blake Griffin stopped playing (shocker) and has been even better over the last 12 games.
The Pistons are holding opponents to just 105.2 points over the last 12, which on its own would be good for best in the NBA.
The Pistons are up to 15th overall and could see themselves in the top ten of the NBA in defense before this season is over.
Troy Weaver knows what he is doing, as all of the top teams in the NBA standings are also the top teams in defense.
The Detroit Pistons can find guys who can score, but it’s not easy to find players who buy into a defense-first philosophy.
It appears the Pistons have found some in Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart and that defense will be the thing this team builds around.
Detroit Pistons: Josh Jackson bounces back
Josh Jackson must have gotten tired of hearing about Hamidou Diallo for the last couple of games. Diallo has had a great start for the Pistons and many were starting to question if Jackson would have a future role.
Both players are very similar and have similar strengths and weaknesses, the biggest being that they struggle shooting from range.
Jackson has been a terrible 3-point shooter this season but has kept getting minutes because of his defensive energy and versatility.
He brought the whole package last night against the Wizards, scoring a career-high 31 points, adding four assists and most importantly, only one turnover.
Jackson averages more turnovers than assists, which has been one of his big problems this season, so it was nice to see him reverse the ratio for once.
Jackson also knocked down four of his seven 3-point shots which has been another big weakness this season. Until he proves he can do this consistently, I’d still rather not see Jackson jacking up seven shots from long range, but he was feeling it last night against the Wizards.
Jackson vs. Diallo is going to be one of the most interesting positional battles for the Detroit Pistons down the stretch and the Pistons will have some tough decisions to make at the end of the season if they decide they can’t keep them both.
Detroit Pistons: Is Frank Jackson the backup shooting guard of the future?
Frank Jackson is another player who is making a case for a future roster spot, though it might not be the position he initially envisioned for himself.
Jackson has usually been viewed as a tweener point guard but has never really been the playmaker you need from that spot. The problem is that Jackson’s shooting was too inconsistent to be a shooting guard, especially from 3-point range.
But Jackson has continued to improve in that area, drawing praise from coach Dwane Casey in the process.
Jackson is shooting 45.7 percent from 3-point range over his last ten games and is now shooting a career-high 43 percent from long range overall.
Jackson has always had the size and quickness to defend but was too streaky to get consistent minutes on any team he’s been on.
But he went to work on his shot and is turning himself into a reliable 3-point shooter, which is something the Detroit Pistons desperately need, especially off the bench.
Frank Jackson is never going to be a starter in the NBA but he could be competent backup shooting guard who fills a similar role to Wayne Ellington this season.