Detroit Pistons: Breaking down their recent struggles

3. 3-point shooting

Coming into the season, the team’s ability to shoot from 3-point range was one of the major question marks. Outside of Luke Kennard and Reggie Bullock, Detroit lacked above-average distance shooters. Unfortunately, both have dealt with injuries early on in the year, and only Blake Griffin has stepped up to join them in the ranks of above-average shooters.

During their six-game losing streak, the team shot just 29.1 percent from 3-point range. If it weren’t for a hot 5-of-8 game from Kennard against the Philadelphia 76ers, that number would’ve been even worse.

As currently constructed, this team doesn’t have the firepower to keep up with the best teams in the NBA or even just teams on a hot shooting night. Against some of the better NBA defenses like the Oklahoma City Thunder or Milwaukee Bucks, that becomes blatantly obvious.

The Pistons need to work to add an additional shooter or two to help bolster their ranks, or they could easily see more stretches like this as the season wears on. The NBA is all about 3-point shooting now, and it’s going to continue to move in that direction. If the Pistons want to compete in the present and in the future, they have to start hitting more shots from outside, or they will only tumble further down the ranks.