The Detroit Pistons have jumped out to a 5-1 start, and most of the focus has been on their new-look offense.
They are shooting more 3-pointers and sharing the ball more effectively, but the results have been about the same or even worse than they were last season, with the Pistons in the bottom half of the league in offensive rating.
Some of this is to be expected, as the Pistons had a tough opening schedule, have had several injuries already, and are trying to work new players into the rotation, so a bumpy offensive start is not shocking at all.
It’s been the defense that has been carrying them once again, which is great for now, but as the season progresses, the offense has to catch up.
The Pistons have the best defense in the NBA
Through six games, the Pistons have the NBA’s best defense, with an outstanding rating of just 103.2 that is more than a point better than 2nd-place Memphis.
This is especially impressive considering the Pistons were without Ausar Thompson for 1.5 of those games and have been missing Jalen Duren for most of the 5-1 start.
We’ve seen the new guys (John Collins especially) buy into JB Bickerstaff’s defensive mindset, and Detroit just keeps coming at you with waves of defenders. When Thompson gets a rest, they bring in Javonte Green and Ron Holland, two players who were among the leaders in bench steals last season.
Detroit is still one of the best teams in the league at stopping points in the paint and forcing teams into tougher contested jumpers.
They’ve had the league’s best defense despite not doing a great job on the defensive glass, as they are letting up way too many offensive rebounds, some of which can be chalked up to the absence of Duren.
The Pistons are also letting up too many fast break points off turnovers (still an issue), but even with these problems, they’ve been the league’s best defense. We knew the Pistons could defend, the real question is whether the offense can catch up.
The Pistons need more offensive consistency
It’s still very early, so these numbers can skew dramatically in one game, but so far, the new-look Pistons’ offense has been sputtering. They are just 17th in the league in offensive rating after finishing 10th last season.
Part of this is pace, as the Pistons aren’t playing fast enough even though they’ve clearly made a concerted effort to do so. Detroit is just 26th in the league in pace this season so far. They've struggled mightily in the half court anytime they can't get out in transition.
And for a league now obsessed with possessions, Detroit is also near the bottom of the league in possessions this season as well, which is putting a lot of pressure on the defense.
Some of this is just slow shooting starts and injuries, but Detroit is still turning the ball over way too much and allowing way too many offensive rebounds. The good news is that this can be cleaned up, and Duren will eventually be back, but you do have to wonder if the Pistons have done enough offensively to keep up with their elite defense.
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