Huge overreactions to Pistons preseason win over Thunder
The Detroit Pistons can shoot!
For the second game in a row, the Pistons shot a nice percentage from the field, but this time they added the 3-ball, hitting a spectacular 48.6 of their 37 attempts from long range.
They hit over 52 percent from the field overall, a great sign for a team that was worst in the NBA in that category last season.
Marcus Sasser and Stanley Umude were 7-of-9 from long range overall, but the Pistons also got contributions from the veterans who are more likely to be in the rotation to start the season, as Alec Burks and Joe Harris were 5-of-9 combined.
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It’s too early to declare this problem fixed, as a lot of this was the fact that Wiseman and Bagley III went 12-of-13, and there were a lot of buckets made in the 38-point fourth quarter when it was mostly deep bench players out there.
But it’s a positive sign, especially considering some of the best shooters were on the bench.
The Pistons are going to lead the NBA in fouls!
This might not be an overreaction, as the Pistons are some fouling mofos. In fact, if you looked at the box score, you’d think Detroit would have won in a blowout, as they dominated just about every category, including FG and 3-point percentage, rebounds and assists.
But they turned the ball over a ton (21 to 11) and fouled the life out of OKC, putting them on the line for a whopping 39 free throws, of which they made 32. The Pistons were 18-of-22, so there was a 14-point swing on the free-throw line.
Monty Williams has stressed poise, but so far his young team has lacked it, as they have turned the ball over a lot and committed a ton of fouls in their two preseason games so far.
They simply have to play smarter, cut down the turnovers and quit biting on so many pump fakes. Seriously, I’ve never seen a team leave their feet so much on jumpshooters. As Greg Kelser pointed out in the broadcast, you aren’t going to block most of those shots anyway, so stay on your feet and force them to make tough shots.
The Pistons led the NBA in fouls per game last season and they are off to a poor start in that area in this one so far.