Detroit Pistons: Luke Kennard will need to play more

3. More spacing for Griffin, Jackson and Andre Drummond

Griffin, Jackson and Andre Drummond do the majority of their work within the paint. However, with a lack of 3-point shooters around them, they don’t have the number of shooters that teams like the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets have. They need to play the ones they do have more. With Reggie Bullock and Stanley Johnson struggling to get their shots to fall, Kennard needs to be in the game to open the floor for the Big 3.

Griffin has looked like a legitimate All-star so far this season, but his 3-point shooting will come back to earth. His career-high 3-point percentage for a season with over 100 attempts is 34.5 percent, but he currently rests at 55.6 percent on 27 attempts. While it’s possible he has improved in that area, he does his best work in the paint, where he can pass out to a waiting Kennard. Griffin is the driving force of this team, and Kennard playing the J.J. Redick role would only help him.

Jackson has always been a drive to the basket guy. That isn’t changing this season, and, as his athleticism wanes, he needs Kennard to space the floor while he goes to the rim. Meanwhile, Drummond, who worked on his 3-point shooting this offseason, has struggled to shoot outside of three feet from the rim. Unless he gets that going, the team needs Kennard to help generate that additional offense. He also gives Drummond a shooter to pass to off offensive rebounds.