The Detroit Pistons turned the ball over way too much last season, a problem that could get worse according to one projection.
ESPN recently published an article with every NBA team’s biggest roster hole and the Pistons’ was “sure ballhandling.” According to the SCHOENE projection system, the Pistons will have the 2nd-worst turnover rate in the NBA next season.
They cited the loss of Dennis Schroder, who had an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio as the biggest reason, as the Pistons don’t have a legit backup point guard and will likely hand over those duties to a committee led by Jaden Ivey.
We’ve talked plenty about the lack of veteran point guard, a problem that was exposed last season when Jaden Ivey was injured. The Pistons were able to land the sure-handed Shroder, who quietly made his case for the Hall of Fame this offseason, but now he's off to Sacramento.
The Pistons were 22nd in the NBA last season in turnovers per game and it’s a problem that could get worse.
The Detroit Pistons need fewer turnovers from their starters
The Pistons’ guards are the biggest culprits, which you would expect considering they have the ball most of the time.
Cunningham leads the team, and though he has to be better, his turnovers could be reduced with less usage and the emergence of a second scoring option that will prevent so many double teams and traps.
Ivey wasn’t far behind him, which is concerning considering he’s the guy expected to run the offense much of the time when Cade Cunningham is on the bench.
Cunningham, Ivey and Jalen Duren averaged nearly 10 turnovers combined last season, which is wild considering the best team, OKC, only averaged 11.8 as a team on their way to a title.
Both Cunningham and Ivey are often guilty of jumping before they have a plan, which leads to tough contested passes. They are both prone to mental lapses once or twice a game, where they pass the ball to no one or to a well-covered or unaware player, and these are the ones they need to cut out.
In Ivey’s case, he has to make faster decisions in the floater area and start pulling up for those shots more to keep the defense honest instead of just jumping into the collapsing defense and ending up on the floor.
Turnovers happen, and a team is never going to cut them out entirely, but the Pistons may far too many unforced errors, and their lack of ballhandling is a concern.