The Detroit Pistons have lost six in a row and have the worst offense in the NBA.
The Pistons’ shooting has been atrocious, with pretty much every guy shooting worse than their career averages.
Players are simply missing wide-open shots, and it’s tough to know how to fix the problem without trading for some shooters, which is not likely to happen.
Dwane Casey must be frustrated with his young team, as his offense is generating the types of shots they want but they are not making them.
It might be time for Casey to shake things up and try some different combinations of players in an effort to inject some life into the offense.
Yes, this is a rebuilding year and no one expected the Pistons to win a title, but the constant losing is not good for development and it would be nice to get these young guys some W’s along the way.
Here are few changes Casey could make to the starting five and rotation, starting tonight vs. the Trail Blazers.
Should Saddiq Bey be moved to the Pistons’ bench for now?
Saddiq Bey has really been struggling of late and has watched his shooting percentages plummet even though his overall numbers are up.
I don’t think coach Casey wants to move Bey to the bench, as he is one of the Pistons’ best defenders and has played hard even through his struggles.
Bey is second on the team in minutes and is going to play a lot no matter what, but it might help him and the team if he came off the bench for a few games to see if it can get him and some other guys going.
This would potentially give Cade Cunningham some different weapons in the starting lineup and allow Saddiq to be the primary bench option for a stretch in every game, which will hopefully get him going.
I believe in Bey and think he’s the guy overall, but sometimes a change of setting can break a guy out of a funk. Also, Bey has a -12 net rating with Cade Cunningham, so the two haven’t exactly been lighting it up together.
Here are a couple of lineups I would like to see.
Pistons starting lineup #1
- Killian Hayes
- Frank Jackson
- Cade Cunningham
- Jerami Grant
- Isaiah Stewart
Since the Pistons only have one big man anyway, they may as well lean into small-ball and run with three guards to see if that can inject some life into the offense.
Frank Jackson has been up and down shooting this season (mostly down) and is only hitting just over 30 percent of his long-range shots, so it’s not like he’s been on fire either.
But he plays with faster pace than Bey and can better take advantage of the plays where Cade grabs a rebound and takes off in transition.
The Pistons need to get more easy buckets, as they shoot far too many long threes and contested two-point shots to be efficient offensively.
Jackson could add some transition three-pointers and give Cade another option on kick-outs.
The Jackson/Cunningham duo is -0.2 on the season, which is still bad but might offer more offensively right now.
Like I said, no move is going to be permanent and Bey is the guy moving forward, so these moves are made with the goal of getting him going.
Pistons starting lineup #2
- Killian Hayes
- Cade Cunningham
- Hamidou Diallo
- Jerami Grant
- Isaiah Stewart
This might seem like a bad idea since Diallo is an even worse 3-point shooter than Bey. However, this would allow Bey to get looks against the other team’s second unit, build some confidence and hopefully start getting hot.
Also, Diallo has one of the best net ratings with Cade Cunningham of the players who have played more than 35 minutes with him this season.
The two are +2.4 on the season and Diallo is a another guy who can grab rebounds and get out in transition.
The Pistons need to play faster and even though Diallo hasn’t been hitting shots either, he has been flying around, grabbing rebounds and providing some athleticism.
I don’t think either of these moves are going to save the Pistons or make them contenders, but when your offense is this bad, something has to change.
Perhaps shaking up the rotation can provide the new perspective these players need to get going, or maybe they are just bad and it doesn’t matter. Either way, the Pistons have nothing to lose right now by trying something new.