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5 Reasons The Detroit Pistons Won’t Make The Playoffs

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 4, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) walks onto the court with guard Reggie Jackson (1) and forward Anthony Tolliver (43) in front of him during the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons beat the Heat 99-98. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) walks onto the court with guard Reggie Jackson (1) and forward Anthony Tolliver (43) in front of him during the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons beat the Heat 99-98. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 21, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Marcus Morris (13) forward Ersan Ilyasova (23) and center Andre Drummond (0) attempt to grab a rebound during the game against the Charlotte Hornets at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Charlotte won 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /

5. The Need For A Better Wing

Van Gundy may have tailored his roster to fit his preferred playing style, but that doesn’t mean what he has here compares to the 2008-09 Orlando Magic team that went to the NBA Finals. With proven/ shooters like Hedo Turkoglu, J.J. Redick, Courtney Lee, Jameer Nelson, Mickael Pietrus, Rashard Lewis and Jason Richardson, Dwight Howard was never left wanting for a kick-out option on the perimeter.

Unfortunately for Andre Drummond, guys like Marcus Morris, Ersan Ilyasova, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Jackson, Stanley Johnson, Anthony Tolliver, Jodie Meeks and Reggie Bullock aren’t quite of that same caliber.

It may seem unfair to compare these new-look Pistons to a team that made it all the way to the Finals, but the point still stands: Detroit needs a proven wing player who can bring efficient three-point shooting as an upgrade over what the Pistons are working with right now.

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    • Morris is a fine bench player who can play the 4 in small-ball lineups, and he averaged 10.4 points in 25.2 minutes per game last season for the Phoenix Suns. But his 35.8 percent three-point shooting is right in that average territory that makes it hard to vouch for him as a starter.

    Caldwell-Pope could very well be on the verge of a breakout season in year three, but so far he’s shot 31.9 percent and 34.5 percent from long range in his first two seasons, respectively. Johnson has the most promise of becoming the two-way wing the Pistons need, but for the time being, he’s only 19 years old and he’ll be coming off the bench.

    Reggie Jackson is a career 29.4 percent shooter from downtown. Tolliver’s career mark is 35.6 percent despite being pegged as a stretch-4. Meeks is coming off a down shooting year in his first season in Detroit, Bullock has been unable to crack anyone’s rotation so far in his NBA career and Ersan Ilyasova hasn’t been seen as intrinsic to a team’s success in about four years.

    With Greg Monroe gone and the offense revolving around pick-and-rolls with Jackson and Drummond, perhaps Detroit’s bevy of wing players and stretch-bigs will get more open looks and post improved percentages. But it’s hard to get onboard the playoff hype train for a team that’s starting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marcus Morris and Ersan Ilyasova on the wings.

    Next: No. 4

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