Pistons ready to make noise in the East
By Victor Prejban
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 02 Oct 2019
Despite a gloomy forecast from naysayers, the Pistons' Big For of Reggie Jackson, Blake Griffin,Andre Drummond and Derrick Rose, may spring a surprise in the East.
AUBURN HILLS -- According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index, the Detroit Pistons are projected to finish the upcoming 2019-20 season with 38-44 record.
That standing is good for ninth place in the Eastern Conference or a slight 3 percent chance of making the playoffs.
The gloomy forecast, however, did not dampen the spirit of the Detroit Pistons, who held their annual Media Day yesterday at the team's temporary training facility next door to the now-closed Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
As proven by the Toronto Raptors, who won the NBA title last June, Derrick Rose, who was acquired by the Pistons via free agency this off-season, pointed out that "anything can happen."
It is a sentiment embraced by a team filled by veterans that include core players Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson. Besides Rose, veterans Tony Snell and Markieff Morris were also added to shore up the frontline.
But for the Pistons to exceed their own expectations, they must import on long distance shooting, a category in which they finished 23rd overall in the NBA last season with a 34.8 percent clip.
"Our identity has to be a 3-point shooting team. We have to be with the new NBA," head coach Dwane Casey told the Detroit Free Press during a pre-Media Day talk with local reporters.
It's also important to manage the minutes of All-Star Blake Griffin, who played 35 minutes a game last season for a usage rate of 30.9 percent.
Griffin is the highest-paid player on the team in this upcoming season, set to collect $34.2 million, And with that comes the responsibility of a heavy workload, something the former Clipper is willing to do.
"It's not going to be me going to them asking asking for games (off). It's not going to be them fighting with me. I'm going to listen to them," said Griffin while stressing that his minutes will depend on what the medical staff will recommend.
So a healthy Griffin, a 3-point shooting Pistons crew, and a resurgent Derrick Rose might just be the recipe for success for Detroit.
It's a tall mountain to climb but doable.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Victor Prejban.
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