The Detroit Pistons can’t seem to catch a break.
After making the wise but risky decision to buy out the rest of Josh Smith’s $26 million contract, the Pistons underwent a resurgence, and won 13 of their next 15 games. Suddenly, the Pistons were a few games away from the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, and many even tipped them to beat out the floundering Brooklyn Nets, who seemed hell bent on gutting their team.
However, with things looking up, an injury threatens to derail their entire season. Brandon Jennings, their star point guard who has been on a phenomenal tear, tore his Achilles’ tendon, and is going to be out for the rest of the season.
In the 16 games he played post-Smith, Jennings put up 19.8 points and seven assists per game, and has looked like a completely different player with Smith on the team.
Without Jennings, the team has lost their last three games, the most recent of which was a 20-point drubbing at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers. That’s right – the 76ers. The Pistons averaged 91.3 points per game over their last three games, but were scoring 104.1 per game with Jennings (post-Smith).
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The team’s three-point percentage has also dropped from 36.9 percent to 28.2, and they made 3.4 less threes without Jennings, who makes 2.6 of his 6.5 attempts per game.
By replacing Jennings with D.J. Augustin, the Pistons’ guard depth takes a huge dip. Augustin is capable of being a starting point guard in short bursts, but the Pistons are forced to give 15-20 minutes a night to Spencer Dinwiddie – the backup to Augustin.
Dinwiddie is averaging 3.2 points per game this season, and the second-round rookie does not look NBA ready. In each of his past three games, Dinwiddie has made just one field goal, and hasn’t shot better than 35 percent from the floor. He hasn’t contributed in assists either, averaging 1.3 over his past three games.
The question at hand here is: what should the Pistons do next? Thanks to the nature of the weakened Eastern Conference, they are only 2.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Charlotte Hornets. The race for eighth spot will probably come down to the Hornets and the Pistons, with the Nets and the Boston Celtics bowing out.
The Hornets could lose some ground in the playoff race with Kemba Walker out with an injury. The problem here is determining which team suffers more with their point guard out – Detroit or Charlotte? With Walker out for a minimum of six weeks, the Pistons could mount a serious push for the eighth seed.
Coach Stan van Gundy is a tactical mastermind, and it isn’t too farfetched to think he could lead the team to success sans Jennings.
However, if SVG has his mind set on the long-term prospect of the team, he could make obtaining a high lottery pick a priority for the rest of the season. Even if they do make it as an eighth seed, do the Pistons really stand a chance of a first-round upset without one of their best players?
This isn’t a simple decision, of course. The Pistons’ fan base has suffered long enough, and a playoff appearance for the first time in six seasons could be the tonic they need. The team has a bright outlook with Andre Drummond as a franchise player, but fans need a reason to stick around.
The Pistons are third to last in attendance – a far cry from being the league-leaders in attendance back in 2008.
We’re past the halfway mark of the season, and we still don’t know what these Pistons are capable of. For the first 28 games, they won just five of them and were one of the league’s worst teams. Then, they went 12-3. Now, they’re on a four-game losing streak. SVG could yet use the next few games to decide if the Pistons’ season is worth salvaging, and commit to a plan post-All Star break.
It’s a shame, really. Jennings was having the best stretch of his career, while the Pistons brought back memories of their glory days for their fans. Now, they’re staring down an uncertain future, as the leader of their resurgence deals with his rehab and the possibility that he might not be the same post-injury.