Detroit Pistons Mediocre Month Keeps Pace In East

The Detroit Pistons had a sub-par month of January, but they were able to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The new year hasn’t been off to the greatest start for the Detroit Pistons. They went 7-8 during that span, and the bads seemed to outweigh the goods. However, they were able to keep pace in a competitive Eastern Conference. They are eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 25-23 record and have a two-game lead over the ninth place Charlotte Hornets.

There has been some separation in a tightly contested East. While 10 teams are still separated by five games ranging from third place to 13th, there is a small gap starting to form. The third through eighth seeds, which includes the Pistons, have at least a two-game lead over the ninth through 13th seeds. Acknowledging that that is a rather narrow margin considering it’s the beginning of February, it is a gap that is beginning to form.

The Pistons’ schedule was fairly unbalanced throughout the month, mixing games against the weaker teams in the league with the heavy hitters. They went 3-1 in their first four games of the month, which was a rather deceiving start to a tough month. In those four games they beat the Nets, Celtics and Magic while losing to the Pacers.

The next four games weren’t easy. The played the top two teams in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors. Then they had two more against the Memphis Grizzlies and their division-rival Chicago Bulls. They went 1-3 during that stretch, and you guessed it: their one win came against the defending champion Warriors, despite Stephen Curry‘s game-high 38 points.

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The schedule continued to get weird, closing the month 3-4 with two of those losses to teams one would expect them to lose. In the last two games of the month, the Pistons lost to the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and the night after to the red-hot Toronto Raptors, who extended their winning streak to 11 games.

Needless to say, the Pistons’ schedule didn’t do them any favors. However, they didn’t take care of the games that they needed to. In fact, even head coach Stan Van Gundy snapped by calling the team “deplorable” and saying that they are “firmly committed to being mediocre,” according to the Sun Times Network.

As for the team, nobody played exceptionally well individually other than rookie forward Stanley Johnson, but more on him in a minute. The month was notably bad for stars Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond.

Jackson, who signed a five-year extension in the offseason, was on pace to be the first Piston since Rip Hamilton in the 2005-06 season to average 20 points per game for a season. Instead, he’s only scoring 19.1 points per game. The month of January wasn’t kind to him, when he averaged 16.9 points and 6.2 assists per game, both being monthly lows for him this season. However, his new year’s slump isn’t the only part of the Pistons’ struggles.

Drummond burst onto the scene as an elite talent early in the season. But he had his worst statistical month in January and it has hurt the Pistons. Drummond averaged 14.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game during the month, after hovering around the 18-point and 16-rebound mark for the majority of the season. He also set a new NBA record for most free throws missed with 23 against the Houston Rockets, according to ESPN.

If there was ever a time for a player to step up his game, it was during the month of January. Johnson did just that by showing an improving basketball IQ. If there’s any factual evidence for this other than watching his development game-by-game, it may be in his plus-minus rating. He was at a minus-10.4 rating in November and has turned to a plus-8.3 in January.

Johnson’s offensive and defensive ratings are also improving. He started with a 93 offense rating and an 103 defense rating in November. In January he’s up to a 98 offensive rating and a 108 defensive rating. While Johnson has earned more playing time, his game has also continued to grow.

Things will get easier for the Pistons in the month of February, though that might cause them to play down to their opponents’ level. Before the All-Star Break, the toughest team they will deal with is the Raptors, and fortunately that game is at The Palace.

Following the All-Star Break, the Pistons get a date with the Raptors, again, and the Cavaliers. Other than that, they get the benefit of playing the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards. The schedule gets slightly easier as the new month dawns.

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The Pistons should be looking forward to the month of February and the All-Star Break. The starters, in particular, have played a lot of minutes and could use a nice rest. However, that won’t be the case for Drummond as he earned his first All-Star selection.