Detroit Pistons Weekly: Reshuffled Frontcourt Looks Good Early

The Detroit Pistons split their two preseason games with NBA teams this week, while also picking up a laugher over visiting Maccabi Haifa from the Israeli Basketball Super League.

One of the bigger questions for the Pistons coming into 2013-14 was whether or not a frontcourt trio of incumbent starter Greg Monroe being joined by second-year man Andre Drummond and free-agent acquisition Josh Smith would work.

So far, so good.

The Pistons beat Maccabi Haifa 91-69 at home on Tuesday, lost to the defending champion Miami Heat 112-107 at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Thursday and then went on the road Saturday night and beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-88.

Drummond has been a revelation in three games so far, scoring 53 points on 22-for-33 shooting in 71 minutes of play, pulling down 26 boards and blocking five shots. Perhaps most impressive, however, is his 9-for-12 free-throw shooting. A 75 percent mark from the line might not seem that impressive on the surface. But after Drummond shot just 37.1 percent last season (59-for-159), 75 percent seems downright Kevin Durant-ish.

Smith, meanwhile, leads Detroit with 86 minutes played in the preseason, but he’s been efficient. He’s 10-for-19 from the floor, 5-for-9 from 3-point range, and has stuffed the stat sheet with 12 boards, seven assists, five steals and four blocks, scoring 33 points.

Monroe, meanwhile, is getting lots of looks and he’s been aggressive taking the ball to the rack while adjusting to playing more at the 4 than he has over his first three NBA seasons. He’s just not converting a lot yet. He’s just 10-for-28 from the floor, but has gone to the free-throw stripe 22 times already, knocking down 18, and he has 20 rebounds, nine assists and five steals. The 10 turnovers are sort of troubling, but as a unit, the trio has combined for 124 points and 58 rebounds to go with 10 blocks and 13 steals.

The play of the week for the Pistons, though, was this nifty crossover drive and layup by Will Bynum in the loss to Miami:

Other takeaways from the first week of the preseason:

• Kyle Singler has improved. In 65 minutes, he’s 12-for-22 from the floor, including 3-of-7 from deep, and has benefitted from some injuries in the backcourt by getting some extra time at the 2.
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope isn’t shy. The rookie guard, taken eighth overall in June, just isn’t making much yet. In 74 minutes, KCP is just 7-for-31 (22.6 percent) and 1-of-16 from 3-point land (6.3 percent). He does have 19 rebounds and four steals and one has to think that he can’t keep missing everything.
• Josh Harrellson isn’t helping his cause. Battling for one of the last roster spots, Harrellson is just 3-for-12 in 30 minutes over the first three preseason games. The hope was Harrellson could play some spot minutes as a stretch 4. But that would entail actually making shots, not merely taking them.
• Peyton Siva, one of two second-round picks for the Pistons, saw his first action in Brooklyn and in 15 minutes was 2-for-3 with eight points, two assists … and five turnovers. The former Louisville point guard might be ticketed for some time with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the D-League … five turnovers in 15 minutes is a sign the NBA game might be moving a little too quickly for Siva at this point.
• Charlie Villanueva’s Expiring Contract was 7-for-20 in 58 minutes, made 2-of-12 from downtown and got 12 rebounds. I only point this out because he could be an attractive trade piece because of the nearly $8.6 million that will come off the books on July 1.

The Pistons get to go back-to-back for the first and only time of the preseason this week, visiting Chicago on Wednesday and Cleveland on Thursday. Detroit also goes to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando on Sunday.

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