****Season Wins 44.5****
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Detroit finished last year with a record of 44-38. Just enough to get the Pistons into the playoffs to tangle with the Cavs in the 1st round...Playoffs ended rather quickly for the pistons as they got swept in the 1st round. Detroit has brought in some nice pieces and they let some dead weight go. Overall this Pistons roster is scary IMO for the Eastern conference. When you break them down, you will see a few glaring improvements with this roster. Detroit will make another playoff push, but they should find themselves in a much higher seed.
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Head Coach: Stan Van Gundy
One of the coolest coaches in the league with a tolerance for players B.S. is a huge positive for him. Dealing with guys like Dwight Howard has helped Van Gundy along the way. He has been in basketball since he was a child, but has been in the coaching ranks since the 1980's. He has head coached 3 NBA teams and has done rather well. He has a few 50 win seasons and a decent amount of playoff appearances. Detroit is a great spot for Van Gundy and I assume he will be in the main seat for years to come. He has this team playing well and they are now looking to make a real push in 2017.
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Starting 5 :
Drummond / Caldwell-Pope / Jackson / Harris / Morris
A very legit lineup for the Eastern Cenference. Pistons needed to deal with some issues last year. #1 issue was depth on this team and scoring. Rebounding wasn't much of an issue and should be even better this year. Drummond was nasty on the boards and the addition of Boban Marjanovic helps for sure. Pistons held onto Aron Baynes and also picked up Jon Leuer. Those are some big bodies that the Pistons needed to help with rebounding. I won't be shocked if Detroit finishes top 3 in rebounds. Reggie Jackson has become an all-star caliber player and he will play at perhaps his highest level of his career. He understands what Van Gundy wants to do and how this offense operates. Caldwell-Pope is a terrific defender and he will do his job as usual. Tobias Harris comes from Orlando is a multi-skilled kinda guy. Big body that can crash the boards and provide inside scoring. Not a bad shooter, but defends rather well. He makes the front line for the Pistons much bigger and stronger and adds some potential for more points. Morris is another guy like Harris. A little less athletic, but IMO a better shooter. Morris can be a threat from the 3pt line and at the hoop. Detroit has plenty of size, but the big men on this roster seem to tire down the stretch. Detroit has an answer for that !!
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Detroit Bench:
This is a deep bench with everything the Pistons needed last year. Detroit struggled with the PG spot when Jackson was off the floor...Scoring was down and counting on the guys they had last year was little help. Ish Smith steps in and could start for 50% of the teams in this league. I doubt we see much scoring drop off from Jackson to Smith...Smith ball handling and turnovers are a concern along with his amount of shots he takes. I believe Van Gundy has put him with a unit though that can help him from feeling he needs to do everything on the court. Stanley Johnson has been with Detroit for a few years now and he is a legit inside outside guy. He works well by himself and with the starting unit as well...Jon Leuer brings in plenty of size, but he can shoot your lights out. Another legit threat from behind the arc and the Pistons 2nd wave now has rebounding and scoring. Baynes is a true PF, but is used at the C position. He will prob play both depending on the situation, but he will sure up the boards and inside scoring along with his defense. Marjanovic is a bit of a mystery player. He played in San Antionio last year, but his overall value IMO is unknown. He is a monster at 7'3, but can he hang with the 2nd unit offense and defense for an extended period...He makes the Pistons 2nd wave a legit threat though with teams struggling to get rebounds. A force near the basket that i think will work well for Detroit. Bullock is just like Harris and Morris. Not the greatest shooter, but he defends well. He can run the court and even play the PG spot if needed. That won't be an issue this year, but defense and grinding 2nd teams down will be his main goal this year. Overall this Pistons bench along with a few other young players looks very talented and deep.
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Overall Outlook -
Well IMO this Pistons team will be much improved. I figure they fight for the top 4 seeds. The bench is the real key to me as they put some good players in place that can all play with each other. I don't see any holes on this teams with scoring, rebounding or defense. That's huge in my eyes. The bench players really make Detroit a threat even in the playoffs. Van Gundy is a coach that will get the best out of his guys, but also can get them to play the roll he needs. It would be very easy to explain to the lineup they just have to do what they are needed too. No reason for players to go out and maintain some crazy avg's. That might go over very well with this roster. Just do your small job and be done for the night. That can last all season and really make this team much stronger once both units can gel together. Pistons are deep in every area and that will lead to a 50 win season IMO
Pistons Season Wins 44.5 / OVER 50-32