Detroit has ZERO PLAYOFF WINS in
the past decade. In that time, they’ve
never drafted higher than seventh.
This is why teams tank.
To be fair, some teams get
lucky with mid-lottery picks. (Steph Curry was
a No. 7 pick. Kawhi Leonard went at 15.) But
the Pistons, well, since 2010 they’ve taken Greg
Monroe, Brandon Knight, Andre Drummond,
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Stanley Johnson and
Luke Kennard, all between seventh and 12th.
They have combined for two All-Star appearances,
both by Drummond. Once again, the Pistons
are too talented to land high in the lottery with
Blake Griffin, Drummond and Reggie Jackson
still around in a typically weak East. But they’re
nothing approaching a title contender—largely the
same as last year’s squad, which was rewarded
for making the playoffs by tying the second-worst
point differential in a sweep in history. Another
year in the middle ground awaits. —Joe Wilkinson0
TELLING NUMBER
*NEW ACQUISITIONENEMY LINES
A rival scout weighs in∂36 wins ∂Miss the playoffs ∂Andre Drummond will have the NBA’s third 30-30 game since 1982.StartersREGGIE
JACKSON
15.4 PPG; 4.2 APG;
42.1 FG%; 36.9 3FG%PG
BRUCE
BROWN
4.3 PPG; 2.5 RPG;
1.2 APG; 39.8 FG%SG
BLAKE
GRIFFIN
24.5 PPG; 7. 5 RPG;
5.4 APG; 46.2 FG%PFCrystal Ball:
The bulk of the
ballhandling
responsibility lies with
BLAKE GRIFFIN now more
than REGGIE JACKSON.
The biggest thing for
Jackson has been
inconsistency. He
shows flashes for a
week, then you don’thear from him for about
two. He has shown he
can be a good on-ball
defender. When he’s
good, he’s a middle-of-
the-pack starting point
guard.... The Clippers
played through Blake a
little, but Detroit took it
to the next level. He was
really like a point guard.
It was successful. He
will still show you the
athleticism in spurts,just not as consistently.
He shoots the three
with confidence,
there is no hesitation.
Offensively he’s the
total package....
They’re one of the few
teams that plays really
big. ANDRE DRUMMOND is a
great defensive player.
They encouraged him
to shoot more threes,
and that will probably
continue this year....DERRICK ROSE had to
reinvent himself after
being an MVP; that was
something. This guy
used to be dynamic,
explosive, out of this
world. He needed
to become a better
shooter, and he has.
You don’t try to run him
off the line, because
you have to respect
his first step.... The
interesting thing to meis the BRUCE BROWN–LUKE
KENNARD dynamic. They
both can’t start. Brown
took the challenge
of guarding the best
perimeter player. They
saw him as a fit playing
next to Blake and
Drummond. He has to
show more offensively.
Kennard is good with
the ball, he can shoot,
he’s dynamic, and he
can play pick-and-roll.Projected Lineup
DERRICK
ROSE*
18.0 PPG; 4.3 APG;
48.2 FG%; 37.0 3FG%PG
LUKE
KENNARD
9.7 PPG; 2.9 RPG;
43.8 FG%; 39.4 3FG%SGBench
SF
TONY
SNELL*
6.0 PPG; 2.1 RPG;
45.2 FG%; 39.7 3FG%ANDRE
DRUMMOND
17.3 PPG; 15.6 RPG;
1.7 BPG; 53.3 FG%C80GARY DINEEN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (GRIFFIN)THE
EAST
Pistons
DETROIT
2018 – 19 RECORD 41– 41 3rd in Central
COACH DWANE CASEY 2nd season with Pistons