Most fans of the Detroit Pistons expect the team to make a moderate leap in the standings after a strong finish to last season, but ESPN has come to rain on the parade.
The Pistons have an aggregate over/under of 45.5, which seems about right for a team that should be very good, but also has questions and potential weaknesses, namely shooting, which we’ll get to a minute.
In a recent article, ESPN projected the Pistons to come short of that at just 42.6 wins, which would have put them in the play-in tournament last season.
They cited the loss of Malik Beasley and the increased reliance on young players as the primary reasons for the Pistons “short-term step back.”
Long-range shooting is certainly a concern, as the Pistons don’t have anyone other than Duncan Robinson who is considered an elite 3-point shooter and they did lose a ton of made 3-point shots when Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schroder went elsewhere.
But the reasons ESPN mentioned are the exact ones that should allow the Pistons to at least match what they did last season, if not improve upon it.
The myth of Malik Beasley and the Pistons young core
If you are only looking at 3-point shooting, then the Pistons didn’t add any one player who is going to replace Beasley, who was arguably the best high-volume 3-point shooter in the NBA last season.
But that’s all Beasley did, as he was incredibly one-dimensional and offered little else if his shot wasn’t falling.
Duncan Robinson is not as prolific a shooter, but he’s very good and well respected around the league. He can also do more with the ball, which we’ve already seen flashes of in preseason. Robinson has gotten very good at attacking closeouts as well as working with bigs in dribble hand-off situations, as he did effectively with Bam Adebayo.
He’s a far better passer out of these situations than Beasley, and I cringed every time Malik put it on the floor, so Robinson offers a more dynamic offensive option even if you lose some shooting.
Caris LeVert is also a better all-around player than Tim Hardaway Jr. who was similarly one dimensional as a shooter who can’t really put it on the floor.
Malik Beasley was great for the Pistons, and I’d love to have him back, but let’s not get carried away, he was ultimately a one-way bench player and those can be replaced in many ways.
ESPN is correct that the Pistons will be relying more on young players, but that’s a good thing, as they are all going be better. Expect a huge leap from Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland already looks to be living up to the hype he generated in Summer League.
Cade Cunningham is HIM and knows it and we are going to see a new level of aggression from him that will put him in the MVP discussion.
And let’s not forget that the Pistons didn’t even have Jaden Ivey for most of last season, so he adds another weapon that will help to make up for what they lost.
I’m Homer #1, so will always back the Pistons against outsiders, but there are logical reasons why Detroit should be better than they were last season.