Detroit Pistons: One surprising statistic from each player
The Detroit Pistons have had a losing but entertaining season that was full of surprises.
No one is surprised the Pistons were bad but I think they surprised a lot of people by being competitive for the whole season even though they were running with a very young team and a cast of retread veterans.
Dwane Casey was rewarded for this with a contract extension that was well deserved, as all of the young Pistons got better and they managed to play the “right” way and lose at the same time, which isn’t any easy thing to do.
Related Story. A five step plan to get back to the playoffs next season. light
There were some big surprise individual performances as well, especially rookies Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart who both outplayed their draft slot and are likely to make the All-Rookie team.
It has been a year of surprises for the Detroit Pistons, so with that in mind, I looked at the most surprising statistic for each player this season.
Let’s start with the deep bench.
Detroit Pistons: The “thanks for your service” group
Jahlil Okafor- 61.9 percent
Even though Okafor didn’t play much he showed what he does as well as anyone in the NBA, which is to get buckets in the paint. Okafor shot 61.9 percent from the floor for the season, but also showed why that doesn’t matter if you can’t guard anyone. Okafor is a bucket on both ends unfortunately.
Rodney McGruder- 45.8 percent
McGruder was another deep bench veteran who didn’t play all that much, but when he did, he hit shots. He made 45.8 percent of his 3-point attempts this season, which is a career high, but did it on 1.4 attempts per game, a career low. McGruder’s season will likely be remembered for his beef with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green but that 3-point percentage might get him a future job with someone.
Wayne Ellington- 31
The number 31 is how many games Wayne Ellington started this season, which no one would have predicted. Ellington was actually very solid this year, shooting 42 percent from 3-point range on six attempts per game, numbers that put him in an elite group of shooters. He looked like trade bait before the deadline and hasn’t played much since, but Ellington will definitely get a job based on his play in Detroit.