The same problems that have troubled the Detroit Pistons in recent years have reared their ugly heads in the preseason. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s preseason and last night the Pistons didn’t play some of their key guys. They used a starting five that may not see a single minute together in the regular season, so all of this has to be taken with a giant grain of salt.
But we’ve seen the Pistons struggle in the same areas they need to improve, so preseason or not, these are concerns until Detroit proves they are not.
3-Point shooting
Possibly the most concerning offensive problem is the Pistons lack of 3-point shooting. They were in the bottom half of the league last year and lost key shooters, so this is certainly a concern, as the Pistons don’t have a great 3-point shooter other than Duncan Robinson.
They went 8-of-24 last night for 33 percent, and it’s not only the low percentage that is troubling,but also the low volume. Detroit was just 23rd in 3-point attempts per game last season and shot 19 fewer 3-point shots than the Cavs last night. There is the difference in the game.
The Pistons will rely on their defense and fast break to make up for it, but when you are shooting far fewer 3’s, it’s a lot to make up. They need more volume, not just accuracy.
Free throws
It seems like I’ve been harping on this for years, but the Pistons are a bad free throw shooting team and that is going to cost them games if it doesn’t change. The Pistons missed 14 free throws last night and have shot in the 60’s for the entire preseason.
The Pistons are going to get to the line and did last night, as they made three more free throws than the Cavs, but Cleveland shot 75 percent to the Pistons’ 63 percent, so Detroit left a lot of points at the line, which has been a consistent problem for years.
Ausar Thompson has been the biggest offender so far, and he simply has to get better, as he is going to get fouled and needs to make the other team pay for it.
Turnovers
The Pistons turned it over 24 times last night, which wouldn’t be worrying in a preseason game if it hadn’t been a problem for years. The Pistons were 22nd in the league in turnovers per game, a huge problem when you are also missing a lot of free throws and 3-point shots.
The Pistons’ margin for error is razor thin, and they don’t have the 3-point shots to bail them out, so they have to take care of the ball.
You can blow these off as preseason rust and awkward lineups, but these are things that can’t carry into the regular season, or the Pistons are not going to be happy with the outcome.