One of the biggest contributors to the Detroit Pistons calamitous season last year was the failure of their big three to mesh together and look coherent up front.
After splashing the cash to sign Josh Smith as a free agent, Detroit was always going to have to find a way to accommodate him, and with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond already established in the starting lineup that was never going to be an easy task.
The problem Detroit had, and still have, is that to fit all three players on the court at once, Smith has to be played at small forward.
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Although in terms of matchup that poses little difficulty for the 28-year-old in terms of skill or size, it does force him into shooting more jump shots, something which was already his Achilles heel. Sure, that’s an obvious downfall of any lineup that has those three men on the floor, but last season, Detroit failed to utilize any positives from it either.
Last night against the New York Knicks, the Detroit Pistons picked up their first win of the season, and funnily enough, it coincided with the first time this year that Smith, Monroe and Drummond started together.
The Pistons shooting numbers were terrible, and combined, those three only managed to go 13-for-44 from the field, yet there was one way in which they made up for it.
In different stages of their career, each one of Smith, Monroe and Drummond have showcased outstanding capabilities as rebounders on both ends of the floor. Last season, Detroit were one of the better rebounding teams in the league, ranking third with an average of 45.4 boards per game, yet there was still a feeling that they didn’t have enough standout performances where they truly dominated the glass.
Last night in the Palace of Auburn Hills, the Pistons couldn’t have been more dominant in terms of rebounding though. Detroit had a remarkable 55 rebounds, with 19 of them coming on the offensive end of the floor. How did Detroit reach such a high number of rebounds?
It’s simple, their starting frontcourt combined for 41 boards just between the three of them.
Perhaps an even bigger factor was the fact that all three of Smith, Monroe and Drummond reached double figure rebounds too.
It’s incredibly rare in the NBA to see a team have three players post 10-plus rebounds on any given night, yet with the way their roster is tooled, it’s something that the Detroit Pistons should be looking to make a regular habit of.
Josh Smith has constantly been advised to focus his game inside the paint, but perhaps that’s advise his team should heed as a whole. This isn’t just about shooting, or scoring either. The Pistons have the talent to be the most formidable front three in the NBA, they’ve just very rarely showcased hope that it can materialize.
Don’t get me wrong, you can’t get away with shooting 36.8 percent from the field on a regular basis, and the Pistons still need to find solution to their shooting and scoring woes. To begin with, dominating the paint and the rebound battle is a solid base to build upon though, and maybe, there could be hope for the Detroit Pistons’ big three yet.