There wasn’t anything pretty about the beating the Detroit Pistons just took at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks and coach Dwane Casey was not happy about it.
The Bucks were shorthanded and on the road, so many Pistons’ fans were hoping that this would finally be the night when the Pistons ended their 200 year losing streak to Milwaukee.
Instead, the Pistons shot 8-of-47 from 3-point range (many of them wide-open bricks), and put out a defensive effort that got coach Dwane Casey heated. This is what he had to say after the game:
Dwane Casey: "I'm embarrassed. We should be embarrassed for the Detroit Pistons brand. The effort we had. You can't control if shots go in, but you can control effort."
— Offseason O (@omarisankofa) November 3, 2021
Detroit Pistons: Will lack of effort and shot making lead to big changes?
I agree with him on the effort part, but teams also have to make shots and the Detroit Pistons simply are not doing that right now. In fact, this team is off to a historically bad start when it comes to shooting the 3-point shot, hitting just 26 percent as a team, which is easily the worst in the NBA.
Usually when a coach calls his team out like this it means some changes are coming. Hopefully one of those changes is that the Pistons start making some shots, as they are dead last in the NBA in points per game, field goal and 3-point percentage.
But it’s also possible coach Casey will shake things up by either changing his starting lineup, rotation or offensive strategy.
Dwane Casey may have just been trying to light a fire under his team, but his anger after the game could also lead to some sweeping changes for the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit Pistons: Will the Pistons change their offensive strategy?
A lot of fans want to blame Dwane Casey for the Pistons’ anemic offense and I can understand this impulse.
The Pistons have been terrible offensively for the last two seasons and look even worse this year than they did in the last, which is not a good sign.
Part of this is not Casey’s fault at all, as he cannot shoot shots for players and his offense has been generating plenty of open looks that they are not making.
But at some point you have to adjust and change your offense to better suit your personnel and Casey can’t keep playing as though he is coaching the peak-era Warriors.
The Pistons are third in the NBA in 3-point attempts even though they are the worst shooting team in the league and this has to change.
I would love to see Casey run a greater variety of offensive sets, as his motion offense is not creating shots that his team can make.
They need to run more pick-and-roll with Killian Hayes and Cade Cunningham, who are both gifted playmakers who can get their teammates better shots.
They need less lateral movement on the perimeter and more downhill action that is aimed at the rim. At some point the shots are going to start falling, but until then, it’s time to dial back the 3-point attempts, run more PnR with your guards and try to get to the rim.
Detroit Pistons’ lineups and rotations
I can’t see Dwane Casey making sweeping changes to his offense overnight, so if there is going to be a shake-up, it may come in the starting lineup and rotations.
After Casey’s comments last night, I expect we will get a heavier dose of the players he thinks are giving max effort. Even though the results haven’t been there, Cory Joseph and Trey Lyles have both been playing hard on both ends and may find themselves getting more run.
Could we finally see Hamidou Diallo get a shot? Josh Jackson has been awful offensively so far, and even though I do like his defensive energy and hustle, at some point the Pistons have to make a shot.
Frank Jackson has done little to earn his minutes so far, as he has had an atrocious start shooting the ball and doesn’t offer a whole lot else. Could we see a guy like Saben Lee get more minutes instead?
Luka Garza works his butt off every time he gets in the game, so we may see more of him if Casey is going to reward effort.
The truth is that all of these players have started off poorly, so it’s not like there’s an answer hidden on the bench. In the end, this is the Pistons’ team so they are going to need improvement from the guys who are there.
Don’t be surprised if we see some fresh blood in the rotation next game and hopefully Dwane Casey will come up with an offense for at team that can’t shoot right now.