Evaluating the Detroit Pistons after Christmas Day
To many fans and players alike, Christmas serves an important benchmark in the NBA season. In this article, we take a closer look at how the Detroit Pistons have fared just after this date on the calendar.
Christmas Day is always a special time in the NBA. It’s often the day when casual basketball fans start tuning in, as most teams have played around 30 games and it starts to become clear which ball clubs are elite, which ones need to start planning for the draft and every scenario in between.
We’ll take a look at where the Detroit Pistons are thus far and where the best-case scenarios lie.
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
1.Could sneak into playoffs
If you’ve been paying attention to Detroit this year, the first thought that comes into your mind isn’t “playoff-bound.” However, this is a team that did manage to go .500 last year and grab the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The big difference this year is the team has been plagued by injuries all season.
Blake Griffin, their best player, had offseason surgery on his left knee and missed the first 10 games of the season. His current status is listed as day-to-day. According to ESPN.com, projected starting point guard Reggie Jackson has been out since Dec. 3 with a back injury (he actually hasn’t played since Oct. 24) and won’t be re-evaluated for another 2 weeks.
Missing significant time from your best player and your starting point guard would hurt any team; still the Pistons have only two fewer wins than the Orlando Magic, the team that currently holds eighth place in the East. It’s not unthinkable that if their injury woes turn around, the Pistons could make up that ground and find themselves in the playoffs for the second straight year.
2. Andre Drummond is a bright spot for this team
The man who’s led the NBA in rebounding three of the last four seasons is on pace to do it again this year. He’s also been Mr. Reliable, having played 29 out of a possible 31 games so far this season.
Doing the dirty work under the boards isn’t a particularly glamorous job and it’s unlikely that Andre Drummond gets a starting nod from fans voting for frontcourt players to represent the East in the All-Star Game; but if coaches around the league are paying attention, Mr. Drummond should be given strong consideration for a reserve role.
3. The Pistons’ leader is capable of weathering the storm
At the risk of being called Captain Obvious, I’m going to point out that the Pistons’ head coach, Dwane Casey, has been through adversity before. Prior to becoming Detroit’s head coach, he took over as the lead man in Toronto just a year after they’d lost their only star, Chris Bosh, in free agency.
He was the head coach there for seven seasons and was ultimately named Coach of the Year in 2017-18. Why is that important? The year before Casey took over, the Raptors won 22 games and missed the playoffs.
In his final season in Toronto, the team won 59 games and finished the regular season as the East’s top seed. If any coach is capable of helping Detroit right the ship, it’s Casey.
4. A closer look at the roster shows Detroit has veterans who can help
In addition to Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, who are both All-Star caliber players when playing their best, the Pistons also have other veterans who are capable of making key contributions and helping to turn things around. Markieff Morris and Reggie Jackson, each in their ninth season in the league, have both been regular starters for decent ball clubs in seasons past.
Derrick Rose, while no longer in his old MVP form, is a wily veteran who’s capable of coming off the bench and putting up 20 points on any given night. And while Thon Maker has yet to justify his draft lottery selection and Tony Snell has never averaged double-digit points per game, both are capable of making decent contributions when put in the right situation.
5. It might be a while before Pistons play on Christmas Day again
The New Orleans Pelicans were the only team that played on Christmas Day that did not make last season’s playoffs and are not expected to be there at the end of the year.
more pistons. Drummond a key piece in future plans. light
However, every basketball fan knows New Orleans was put on this year’s schedule because the league knew there would be widespread interest in watching the No. 1 pick, Zion Williamson, play on Christmas Day. (Williamson is out with an injury and has yet to play so far this season).
The Pistons had two previous eras that could be considered “the glory days” by their fans. The team that went to back-to-back NBA Finals in 2004 and 2005, taking home the title in ’04, featured three players whose jersey numbers would eventually hang from the rafters.
The “Bad Boy” Pistons had five players who would be given such an honor and their head coach, Hall of Famer Chuck Daly, has a banner in his honor as well. The present-day Pistons are hoping to turn things around, maximize the talent on their roster, and slip into this year’s eighth and final playoff spot.
Next. Each team's best NBA Jam duo of all-time. dark
Overall Evaluation
This team isn’t bad on paper but they have to stay healthy in order to win games. Their head coach has shown that he can motivate players to maximize their potential and get the most out of a roster. Detroit has a decent mix of All-Star talent and experienced veteran leadership but it remains to be seen whether or not the Pistons can click on all cylinders and make things go.