3️⃣ Reasons Why The Detroit Pistons Will Be Even BETTER This Season📈
This off season, the Detroit Pistons made a massive step closer to making a really deep playoff run out east. As a franchise, the Pistons put themselves into an amazing spot last season after years of finishing near the bottom of the East and even suffering a historically bad losing streak in the 2024 season. They finally made the playoffs last year and made a really good impression in their first appearance since 2019. They pushed the Knicks to a competitive six-game series that ultimately put the league on notice that Detroit basketball is something to buy into again. This came with an amazing career year from Kate Cunningham where he made both the All-Star game and the AllNBA team, establishing himself as one of the best upand cominging point guards in the entire league. They also got some solid showings from other players like Assar Thompson and Jaylen Duran who both etched out perfect niche roles on the team to complement K’s game. Now, while this team was amazing on the defensive side of the ball, ranking in the top 10 in defensive rating through the season, the one thing that limited them a bit was their offense. Now, I’m not saying it was bad. They did rank near the middle of the league in offensive rating and just outside of the top 10 in points per game, but I definitely still think they could use some work on that side of the ball. The one thing you could point at is their three-point shooting. While this was an area that they improved in with the addition of guys like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tobias Harris and even Malik Beasley, they still ranked near the bottom of the league in both attempts and percentage. The rule of thumb is this. If you want to optimize the play of your point guard, get him as much spacing as possible and surround him with advanced three-point shooting. Detroit heard the call and did just that this off season. They picked up one of the league’s best three-point shooters in Duncan Robinson, signing him to a three-year, $48 million deal. One thing to love about Duncan is not only is he a great stationary catch and shoot guy, but you can run plays for him off the ball, getting him into movement on pin downs or flares, and he’s also an underrated cutter to the rim, taking advantage of defenders who like to top. I also really like the addition of Caris LeVert. Detroit went and got him on a 2-year, $29 million deal, and he helps a ton with those three-point shooting issues as well. If you look at his overall three-point percentages, they weren’t great, but he did knock down 40% of his looks off the catch, which makes him a perfect fit next to Kade. Even better, Levert has a ton of experience acting as an additional shot creator and initiator on offense, doing that at a solid volume during his time across the league with teams like the Nets, Cavaliers, and Hawks. And that allows bigger staff to be a little bit more creative with Detroit’s offense. Long story short, Detroit got even better on the offensive end with the additions of Levert and Robinson as they both provide elite spacing, offball play, and shot creation. While these weren’t the most popular, most talked about moves to the offseason, it does help Detroit a ton on the margins as they’re looking to make a massive leap offensively. When you think about how well Detroit played, one thing to take into consideration is that they did it without one of their best players in Jaden Ivy, who was injured during a crucial point in the season. Before his injury, he made massive strides on the offensive end, averaging around 18 points a night on nearly 40% shooting from downtown. So before these additions of Duncan Robinson and Caris Levert, Detroit was already working on establishing a potential elite backcourt between Cade and Ivy with Cade acting as the initiator and Ivy playing more of an offball role who would also slash to the rim in both transition and in the half court. Their plan for Ivy and Cade is almost perfect as they fit the archetype for teams that are having a ton of playoff success. these teams that have like two elite perimeter shot creating threats, either wings or guards that can both play off each other and interchange with one another as initiators. That’s what’s in style right now. The Celtics won a title with this formula with Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown. And we just saw the Thunder do the same with SGA and JDub. The Ivy and K duo is built to work with how the league is set up today. The final thing I wanted to say here about Detroit is that the East is literally set up for them to have an amazing run next season, even better than what they did last season. If you look at the East, a lot of teams are potentially going to see a lot of falloff. The Bucks with their loss of Damen Lillard. The Pacers are not going to be able to play with Tyrese Hallebertton this coming season. The Celtics are operating without their best player in Jason Tatum. So, with a lot of teams falling off in the Eastern Conference, the Pistons have the table set for them to make a lot of noise in the regular season and potentially end within the top four by the end of the season. With Detroit’s improved three-point shooting and shot creation next to Kate Cunningham, combined with the return of Jaden Ivy and a thinner Eastern Conference, the possibilities are endless for this team as they’re looking to inch closer towards true contention after years of being subpar in the East. Now, am I saying they’re a contender right now? No. Right? There are still some teams in the East that I think are better than them. I think the Knicks are better. I think the Cavs are better. But that doesn’t mean that Detroit doesn’t have the potential to make another massive statement in the Eastern Conference and possibly push themselves even further in the playoffs than what they did last season.
The Detroit Pistons were extremely productive last season, landing a spot in the Playoffs and missing the second round by a hair after a competitive first round series against the Knicks. After making massive offseason additions such as Duncan Robinson and Caris Levert, the Pistons are ready to make a massive offensive leap and aim for a deeper postseason run
Time Stamps:
0:00 Intro
1:51 Improved Three Point Shooting
3:10 The Return Of Jaden Ivey
4:16 The Rest Of The East Got Weaker
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