Thursday, August 24, 2017

Season preview: Detroit Pistons

STAYING: Reggie Bullock, Andre Drummond, Henry Ellenson, Tobias Harris, Reggie Jackson, Stanley Johnson, Jon Leuer, Boban Marjanovic and Ishmael Smith.

ADDED: Avery Bradley (Boston), Langston Galloway (Sacramento), Luke Kennard (Duke), Luis Montero (Reno Bighorns), Eric Moreland (Canton Charge) and Anthony Tolliver (Sacramento).

GONE: Aron Baynes (Boston), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (LA Lakers), Michael Gbinje, Darrun Hilliard, Marcus Morris (Boston) and Beno Udrih.

STRENGTHS: If focused, Andre Drummond is a force to be reckoned with in the paint … He will give you a bunch of 20 and 15 games every year … Avery Bradley brings much-needed winning character to this group … A defensive ace from the very start in his NBA career, he’s now also a pretty relevant offensive player … Tobias Harris is a solid starter who makes a positive impact on both ends of the court … Strong rebounding team … They play in a weak conference … Winning 40 games probably gets you to the playoffs.

WEAKNESSES: Just hard to be excited about their talent … Realistically, they don’t have that many Top 75 players … Reggie Jackson comes off a disappointing season … Can he bounce back? … Even with Bradley and Luke Kennard around, probably a subpar three-point shooting squad … Whether in transition or half-court sets, scoring doesn’t come easy for Detroit … Chemistry must improve … The team’s franchise player can’t make free throws, thus limiting his impact … Overall, Detroit shot 71.9 from the line last season … Only Miami did worse … Effort has been an issue with the Pistons lately … Have they tuned out Stan Van Gundy?

PREDICTION: 3rd in the Central Division, 8th in the Eastern Conference.

SALARIES:



from HoopsHype http://ift.tt/2w2WUTk

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