4 Biggest disappointments for the Detroit Pistons up until this point
#3: The Detroit Pistons' defense still stinks
If talking about the importance of having a good defense actually translated into having one, then the Detroit Pistons would be shutting down the league because they did plenty of talking in the offseason.
Monty went on and on about the importance of defense, even using it as his excuse for benching Ivey, but we never saw any evidence of it on the court.
The Pistons have gotten way worse on defense this season, as they are 27th in opponent points per game, allowing a staggering 122, which is four points worse than last season.
They are 28th in defensive efficiency, which is also worse than last season, and their +9.1 opponent's margin is 29th in the league, nearly a point worse than last year.
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Part of this is that the Pistons aren't blessed with elite defenders, especially before the trades that sent Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks, Isaiah Livers and Marvin Bagley III packing.
But part of it is also scheme, as the Pistons inexplicably switch on everything, often putting up no fight against the screener and switching well before they have to.
Unlike the first two disappointments, I can't put this all on Monty, as individual players have to get better and give more effort.
Hopefully, this will start to change after the additions of Fontecchio and Grimes, who are huge steps up defensively from their counterparts.
Defense is practically disappearing in the NBA, but the best teams still play it at a high level and Detroit isn't even close. They've gotten worse, which is hugely disappointing.