Detroit Pistons: Finally Dominant Up Front

The Detroit Pistons get ready for tip. (Photo Credit: Chiuchiu11, Flickr)

Detroit Pistons fans have had a miserable time of late. Motor City residents can be forgiven for craving success, seen as from the 2002/03 season to the 2007/08 season, the Pistons achieved six consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, including two trips to the Finals and one culminating in a title. The ensuing years have been barren to say the least though. Since being swept in the first round by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009, Detroit has gone four straight years without playoff basketball. A mixture of ageing and departing stars, and draft picks that haven’t reached their potential have turned this great franchise into a lottery team. The wait for post-season basketball might be about to end though.

Pistons legend and current General Manager Joe Dumars has reshaped the team this off-season and things are looking up. Dumars, who has been involved in all three Pistons Championships (two as a player, one as GM), has assembled a young and athletic core for the coming season. The Pistons will be one of the must watch teams in the league this year, and this is in no part due to their dynamic front court. New Head Coach, Maurice Cheeks has some of the most highly skilled big men in the league at his disposal and they will be key to Detroit’s fortunes. So without further ado, let’s take a look at the four men who could make the Pistons the best front court in the league.

Rasheed Wallace

Okay, so “Sheed” isn’t a current player. His addition to the coaching staff could be as important as Josh Smith‘s was to the playing staff though. Wallace was one of the most dominant center’s in the NBA during his 18 year career. The four-time All-Star carved out a career for himself through his remarkable versatility.

Rasheed Wallace backs down in the post. (Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr)

Not only did Wallace wear down his opponents with his immense strength down low, but he had a talent of stretching the floor unlike many other center’s. Wallace had a feather like shooting touch for a man of his size, which allowed him to regularly step back to shoot deep 2’s and perimeter 3’s. For his career, Wallace averaged 33.6% from deep, which although it’s around the league average is exceptional for a center. The only other players that spring to mind with better 3 point numbers from that position in recent years are Channing Frye (39%), Mehmet Okur (37.5%) and Andrea Bargnani (36.1%).

In his new role as player development coach, Wallace will of course do plenty of work on post moves and finishing in the paint. The Pistons will hope that Sheed can have a similar impact on their players as Hakeem Olajuwon has had on players around the league for years. But his most important work will definitely be imparting his shooting knowledge on to the Pistons forwards. There’s every opportunity that the Pistons will often “go big” this season, with Josh Smith at small forward and Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond interchangeable at power forward and center, and in that scenario, floor spacing will be key. With the instinct of all three players being to attack the paint, there’s a real concern that the Pistons could clog up the lane. So if Wallace can help those forwards to extend their shooting range, the Pistons will be a formidable force.

Josh Smith

Josh Smith competing at the rim with

. (Photo Credit: Mark Runyon, Basketball Schedule)

After 9 years as a Hawk, Josh Smith left his native Atlanta this summer to sign a 4 year $54m deal with Detroit. Smith’s numbers show that he is undoubtedly one of the premier talents in the league, yet doubts still remain over J-Smoove. Having never been named an All-Star, Smith had become dismayed with the Hawks as he felt the organisation didn’t do enough to make a case for him around the league. So after a couple of years of constant trade rumors, he got his move.

Josh Smith 2012/13 Shotchart (Photo Credit: NBA.com/Stats)

Smith is a top class defensive presence, averaging 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals per game over his 9 year career to date. This doesn’t account for shots he contests and his general on ball pressure either, attributes which are equally important to defensive effectiveness as those in the box score. As a long established veteran, Smith will be the defensive leader and the man tasked with trying to bring his teammates up to standard on that end of the floor.

Where the doubts over Smith arise aren’t on defense though. Offensively, Smith is as dominant as anyone in the league when in the restricted area, shooting 62.5% while in close to the hoop. Smith is a clinical finisher, and as a former Dunk Contest Champion, one of the most explosive dunkers in the league. Yet Smith is famous for poor shot selection. He’s often guilty of falling in love with the jumper, and hoisting up long and unnecessary shots with plenty of time left on the shot clock. As his shot chart from last season shows, this leaves Smith’s coaches, teammates and fans regularly frustrated. In spite of this, Smith’s shot isn’t actually that bad. His problem is if he makes a shot early, he returns to it with more regularity. Smith will benefit from working on his shot with Wallace more than anyone, but what’s most important is that he develops veteran decision making skills to know when to shoot it.

Greg Monroe

Entering into his fourth season, the former Georgetown Hoya is one of the most talented big men in the league. In the time since he was drafted, Monroe is one of the few players in Detroit to cover himself in any glory. He has been a consistent double-double threat since his rookie year where he posted 9.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. This resulted in Monroe being recognized in the All-Rookie Second Team. With only a small increase in minutes, things improved further in his sophomore year with an average of 15.4 points and 9.7 rebounds. And last season, that standard was maintained at 16.0 points and 9.6 rebounds a night. Points and rebounds aren’t the stats that separate Monroe from the pack though.

Greg Monroe trying to lay it in. (Photo Credit : chiuchiu11, Flickr)

Monroe has a deft touch in the paint which allows him to be an exceptional passer. For his first three years, Monroe averages 2.4 assists a game. This was enough for him to rank 5th among centers in assists in 2011/12, while last season’s increased average of 3.5 per game, ranked him in 3rd. Now paired with Josh Smith, himself an excellent passer, Pistons fans have every reason to be excited about their front court’s offensive potential.

Where Monroe needs to work is on the defensive end. For his height, the Louisiana native has virtually no shot blocking presence. His career average for blocks is a measly 0.6 per game and there is every chance that both Smith and Wallace will be offering Monroe pointers on how to acquire a defensive intimidation factor.

Andre Drummond

Drummond was drafted from Connecticut by the Pistons before the beginning of last season as the 9th overall pick. Coming out of his sole season in college with averages of 10.0 points, 7.55 rebounds and 2.71 blocks, Drummond was hyped as a future star center in the NBA. An impressive rookie season from limited minutes has done little to quiet this talk, as averages of 7.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in under 21 minutes are incredibly impressive.

Andre Drummond in Pistons colors. (Photo Credit: mariselise Flickr.com)

On both ends of the floor, Drummond possesses a strong interior game. The New Yorker is a proven shot blocker on defense, and on offense shot over 64% from in and around the restricted area. Having only taken 21 shots from outside the paint last year, the 20 year old has been working hard on extending his range over the off season.

Drummond remains a very raw talent, but he will continue to grow while he’s surrounded by forwards of this calibre in Detroit. If he could develop more of a passing game this season it would be a nice complement to Smith and Monroe. The key for the Pistons is that they manage Drummond’s back to prevent injuries like those that hampered him at times last season.

On the whole, although they may not be there yet, the Pistons have all the pieces up front to be the most lethal forward trio in the league. This season expect the Pistons to return to the Playoffs, and with that experience behind them, this group could then go far.

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