Detroit Pistons: 3 keys to fixing the offense

3. Generate more assists

The Pistons make the second-most passes in the entire NBA, behind only the Memphis Grizzlies. Despite this incredible number of passes, they rank 25th in the NBA in their assists per game. The majority of their passes are around the wing, or they just aren’t scoring as a result. Griffin and point guard Reggie Jackson are good passers, but they aren’t setting up their fellow teammates as they did at the end of last season.

Griffin leads the team with 4.9 assists per game. After consistently improving in this area over the course of his career, this is a disappointing statistic to see. He’s still above his career average of 4.3 per game, but he’s well below the 6.2 that he averaged after being traded to the Pistons last season. While he is not solely responsible, he is the hub the offense operates around.

The Golden State Warriors have shown over the past five years that passing and generating assists is what helps you win championships. Over the past five seasons, including this season, the Warriors have led the NBA in assists in every year. While the Pistons’ offense won’t get to that level due to a lack of shooting talent, they need to move up at least to the mid-teens to boost this offense.