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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 center Andre Drummond (0) defends Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson (25) during the fourth quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Charlotte won 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /

1. The “etroit Pistons”

There’s a chance Andre Drummond could develop into a defensive monster like Dwight Howard, since Howard didn’t win his first Defensive Player of the Year Award until his fifth season — when the Magic made the Finals and D-12 rattled off three consecutive DPOY awards.

That’s certainly no guarantee, however. Drummond posted solid block and steal numbers to Howard in their third seasons, but D-12 was a rim deterrent and defensive anchor in a way that Drummond just isn’t yet. He’s sometimes lazy and soft down low, something that just can’t happen now that he’s going to be the only big packing the paint.

But even if Drummond does continue on this trajectory toward Dwight Howard territory, the rest of the Pistons will have to do their part to play the kind of defense needed to make the playoffs.

According to NBA.com, the Pistons surrendered 104.2 points per 100 possessions last season, ranking them 21st in the league. After the All-Star break that brought Reggie Jackson on board, the defense slightly regressed even further to a defensive rating of 104.4.

The departure of the flat-footed Greg Monroe automatically makes the Pistons a better defensive unit, especially since so many of Van Gundy’s new additions have length on the wing. But none of the new arrivals — sans rookie Stanley Johnson — are known for being defensive stoppers, and even Johnson will experience the typical rookie struggles on defense.

Solving the backcourt questions and waiting for Drummond to prove he’s the next Dwight Howard will be issues for the Detroit Pistons to sort out this year, but for a franchise that’s historically been nasty on the defensive end, they’ll need to be more than the “etroit Pistons” to make the playoffs in 2015-16.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Opening Week

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