Detroit Pistons: Monty Williams may have his next Ricky Rubio

The Detroit Pistons hired head coach Monty Williams to take them to the next level as a franchise.

Williams has a history of turning teams around, as he did at his last stop in Phoenix. The Suns had won just 19 games the season before Williams took over, and he got them up to 34 wins in his first season as head coach.

The Detroit Pistons won just 17 games this past season, so Williams will once again be tasked with fixing the worst team in the NBA. If the Pistons were to win 34 games next season, I think most fans would be happy, as it would be a sign that this franchise is finally heading in the right direction after so many years of tanking.

There are other similarities between the two teams. The 2018-19 Suns had the bones of what would become a good team, with players like Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges and Kelly Oubre Jr. already on the roster.

But aside from Williams, the Suns had one big addition in the offseason that helped make them competitive.

Detroit Pistons: Monty Williams may have his next Ricky Rubio

Many would credit head coach Monty Williams for much of the Suns’ quick turnaround, but Williams deferred that credit to Ricky Rubio.

Williams has said that Rubio was one of the big reasons for the team’s improvement, as adding a steady, veteran point guard helped his young guards and improved the team in key areas. The Suns were 20th in assists per game before Rubio, and went to 1st in the NBA the very next season after the veteran averaged 8.8 per game.

The Suns went from 28th in turnovers to 18th in just one season, with Rubio’s 8.8/2.7 assist to turnover ratio leading the way.

Williams may have gotten a similar addition this offseason in veteran point guard Monte Morris, who has one of the best assist to turnover ratios in the NBA. The Pistons were 27th in the NBA in assists this past season and 25th in turnovers, so hopefully the combination of Williams and another veteran guard will help those numbers significantly.

Morris is probably not as good as Rubio, who started all 65 games he played for the Suns in Williams’ first season, but he is the type of addition that can help a head coach taking over a young team. Morris isn’t likely to put up the same numbers as Rubio, who averaged 13 points, 8.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds, but his stats from last season 10.3/5.3/3.4 aren’t far off and he is a much better 3-point shooter than Rubio.

The Detroit Pistons have the bones of an up and coming team and hope the right coach and veteran additions can help them take the next step towards contention.