Detroit Pistons: One surprising statistic from each player

Detroit Pistons: The resurrections

This group of players found new life with the Detroit Pistons and either salvaged a career that was going downhill or found a nice role with the Pistons that showed what they could do.

Dennis Smith Jr.- 20

After a somewhat promising start, Dennis Smith Jr. only ended up playing 20 games for the Detroit Pistons, missing most of the second half with injuries. He was a long shot to make next year’s roster anyway, but it would have been nice to see him get more of a chance. DSJ may have shown enough to get a shot with another team but it probably won’t be the Pistons.

Josh Jackson- 30 percent

There was a LOT of talk about Josh Jackson and how he was resurrecting his career in Detroit, but sorry, I must have been watching someone else. Jackson had some big scoring games, but he was a turnover machine who shot just about as bad as anyone in the league who took as many shots. He made only 30 percent of his 3-point attempts, lowest since his rookie season, but took 4.1 per game, highest of his career. Let’s face it, if Jackson had been on a better team he would have never gotten this many minutes and shots. His defense was pretty good and I like his toughness, but 30 percent doesn’t cut it for a shooting guard in the NBA.

Mason Plumlee- 2

Mason Plumlee had the best season of his career, just missing on averaging a double-double with 10.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists. The assists put him 3rd in the NBA for centers and Plumlee showed he can be a playmaker from the five. But he also had two triple-doubles, which I don’t think anyone expected coming into the season. In fact, if you would have bet that Plumlee would have more triple-doubles than Chris Paul, people would have thought you crazy, but here we are. Plumlee’s contract was mocked when it first happened but now he looks like one of the best value signings in the NBA.

Frank Jackson- 40 percent

When Frank Jackson signed a two-way contract at the beginning of the season, fans didn’t think much of it. I’ve been a fan of his going back to New Orleans, so I was happy to see Frank Jackson get a chance and make the most of it. Jackson evolved into an “instant offense” guy off the bench. He has always been a streaky shooter but he seemed to figure it out this season, hitting 40 percent of his 3-pointers on 3.8 attempts per game, both career highs. This was pretty shocking considering he was a 31 percent 3-point shooter for his career. Hopefully the Pistons will reward him with a full time contract but if not, some other team will, as Jackson has shown some Jordan Clarkson potential as a scorer off the bench.