The Pistons have problems. Should they hit the panic button after ugly Game 1 loss to Magic?
These Pistons, while the proud owners of a 60-win season, have lingering issues that could turn their dream season into a postseason nightmare.
As the top-seeded Detroit Pistons walked off the floor as Game 1 losers, dropping their playoff opener to the Orlando Magic 112-101 , a fear that's been present for most of the season reared its head again. These Pistons, while enormously talented and the proud owners of a 60-win season, have lingering issues that could turn their dream season into a postseason nightmare. Detroitโs efficiency, or lack thereof Despite sporting the 10th-best offense in the league, Detroit wasnโt an offensive powerhouse this season.
The Pistons ranked 29th in 3-point attempts and a pedestrian 17th in 3-point efficiency. They ranked 15th in effective field-goal percentage, and 19th in turnover rate. Their starting lineup featured one, just one, player (Duncan Robinson, 41%) who hit the 3 at a rate that exceeded the league's average percentage, and they started both Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, who are both non-shooters.
The on-floor spacing is among the worst in the NBA, but they generally overcame that due to their second-ranked defense, and the fact that their physicality earned them the third-most free throw attempts of any team this season. All of the above factors came into play during their loss to Orlando. They hit just 31% of their triples, turned the ball over 14 times, and made it to the line 38 times.
In other words, the Pistons lived up to their own stereotype, making them exceedingly predictable, and, frankly, not that difficult to game plan against. Teams, even good ones, need to clean up issues as they head into the postseason, if they hope to win a title. No one, not the Celtics of the โ60s, the Lakers of the โ80s, the Bulls of the โ90s, nor the Spurs of the โ00s or the Warriors of the โ10s were perfect.