Detroit Pistons: 3 biggest weaknesses of the Pistons roster

The Detroit Pistons will have some new faces on the roster next season but some of the same problems will linger.

The Pistons have a young roster, so we can expect some of the mistakes and missteps that go along with having an inexperienced team.

I have identified three areas of weakness on the roster, all of which are holdovers from last season and could even be worse next year.

We’ll be talking about these three things all season as the Detroit Pistons restoration continues.

Detroit Pistons: The Pistons were a terrible rebounding team that could get worse

Rebounding is probably the most controversial statistic in basketball these days, as some pundits will claim that it is not important in the 3-point era.

Rebounding certainly doesn’t have the reputation it once did, ask Andre Drummond, one of the league’s best rebounders, who went from a max guy to a veteran minimum overnight as the game passed him by.

Teams are no longer selling out for rebounds, especially on the offensive end, as getting back to defend the transition 3-pointer is analytically smarter than sending guys to the offensive glass.

But the Detroit Pistons were 25th in total rebounding last season, and 26th in defensive rebounding, which is leading to a lot of extra shots for the opponent after the Pistons fail to close out defensive possessions.

Defensive rebounding is the final step to a stop and allows teams to get out and run, so I am far more worried about defensive boards than offensive. The Pistons lost their best rebounder, Mason Plumlee and replaced him with a similar guy in Kelly Olynyk.

Other than Isaiah Stewart and Jerami Grant, the Pistons don’t have any plus rebounders. Detroit was 19th in opponent’s offensive rebounds allowed and 29th in field goal attempts last season, partly because they were not a good rebounding team.

The additions they made are not likely to make the Pistons any better, so this will be something to watch all season.