Detroit Pistons: Why the bench was good, until it was not

The Detroit Pistons bench looked awesome in the preseason. However, the substitutes have gotten off to a miserable start in the real NBA season.

One of the few positives of last year was the fact the Pistons had the highest-scoring bench in the NBA. It may not have helped them win games, they did go 20-52 after all, but it made them a lot more competitive (and made people who bet on them quite happy as they usually covered).

With the addition of some scorers in the summer, the hope was the Detroit bench would be even stronger this season. Considering the Pistons would most likely be starting four players who are either in their first or second year, that pop off the bench is going to be important.

In the preseason, when the games do not count, the Pistons subs were outstanding, even better than the starters in most instances. It helped to create a lot of optimism for the season. Maybe Detroit can’t roll out superstars like the Brooklyn Nets, but they could wear down more talented opponents with their overwhelming depth.

Well, that has not come about – at all.

The Pistons subs feature many of their best three-point shooters, yet Detroit is dead last in league three-point percentage at 22.5 percent … by a lot (the 29th worst team, the Thunder, is at 28.7%).

A look at the overall offensive shooting numbers of the core group of the Pistons bench is horrific:

Cory Joseph: 16.7% (Yikes!)

Saben Lee: 20%

Hamidou Diallo: 41.7% (0-for-4 on threes)

Frank Jackson: 28.0%

Trey Lyles: 44%

Josh Jackson: 50% (20% on threes)

I would break down the complete three-point shooting percentage of players, but it would be really depressing. Let us just say, if Trey Lyles was not taking the three-pointer, it did not go in.

Kelly Olynyk, a career 36.5-percent shooter from beyond the arc, which is why he was signed to a $36 million contract, is making just 18.7-percent of his three point shots so far (Eek!).

Now, the Pistons bench has had to  plug holes in the starting lineup due to injuries to Cade Cunningham and (recently) Jerami Grant. Frank Jackson had been starting for Cunningham, but his shooting has been nothing like it was last year, when he was a 40-percent maker of threes.

In both games against Chicago, the defense was fine, but you need to score over 85 points to win nowadays, it is not 2004 anymore.

• In the opener, Detroit held a 22-14 lead early in the second quarter. However, the bench’s failure to score allowed the Bulls to cut the deficit to four by halftime.
• In the rematch in Chicago, the Pistons actually held the lead late in the first quarter. However, the bench’s failure to score allowed the Bulls to pull away to an 11-point lead by halftime.
• With Detroit having mostly bench players in, the Atlanta Hawks pulled away to start the fourth quarter to drop Detroit to 0-3.

The bench has, at best, held its own. But for the Pistons to have a successful season, it needs to outplay the opponent’s subs. It’s in Detroit subs where they have the most NBA experience. No stars, but solid players who, together, should be able to outplay most other team’s bench.

But they are not doing it.

Can the Detroit Pistons bench be saved?

The good news is that the season is just three games old. To show how little has been actually played, it would be the equivalent of the Detroit Lions being in the early third quarter of its first game.

And the bottom of line is: all of these veterans did not suddenly forget how to shoot all at the same time. Like anything, poor shooting can be infectious, just like making everything you throw up can also become a thing (not yet, but at some point hopefully).

When the starting lineup actually has all of its starters (not expected until Saturday against Orlando at the earliest), the bench should have a chance to stabilize, and then produce.

The failure of the Pistons bench to make a positive impact has been a major reason they have yet to win a game. Their hoped-for reemergence from an early season funk will also be key for Detroit if they are to start winning games.