Category: Detroit Pistons Blog

Here’s the Detroit Free Press reporting on the Pistons, who welcome a talented, confident rookie into their mix this upcoming season:

The Pistons know Stan Van Gundy’s track record.

Second-year point guard Spencer Dinwiddie knew that his head coach hadn’t missed the playoffs until last year when the team finished out of the hunt.

They are young, confident and expect to not only just make the playoffs, but contend for NBA titles in the near future.

“We just don’t want to get in as the eighth-seed,’’ said rookie forward Stanley Johnson. “We’re trying to put our efforts forth to win a championship every year that we’re here. I think any guy that’s interested in winning would want to be here. I think we’re a team of substance instead of flash. As long as we’re doing our job every day I think our fans will come and we have to focus on basketball instead of selling tickets.’’

Here’s the Detroit Free Press reporting on the Pistons, who will soon reportedly get tougher and meaner:

A contingent of Detroit Pistons will travel to Las Vegas on Aug. 31, but it won’t be fun and games.

Members of the team are going to train with some UFC trainers. It’s a team bonding event put together by the players with Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond being the leaders.

Two weeks ago, some UFC fighters came to the team’s practice facility to cross train with the Pistons. Now the players are returning the favor, but will be working with the UFC trainers and coaches.

The players will be in Vegas for about a week.

Spencer Dinwiddie didn’t know who all would be attending, but he’ll be one of them.

Here’s the Detroit Free Press reporting on one of the keys to the Pistons’ future:

Andre Drummond turns 22 next Monday.

The other important number for coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy is 50.

He’d like his big center to shoot 50% from the free throw line this upcoming season.

That might be a tall order for the 6-foot-11 man mountain, who has career averages of 12.1 points per game and 11.8 rebounds.

His rookie season Drummond shot 37.1% from the free throw line. In his second year he improved to 41.8%, however last year he took a step back at 38.9%. For his career he’s shooting just 39.7%.

The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has signed first-round draft pick Stanley Johnson to a contract.

All players selected in the first round of the draft are guaranteed to receive a contract, assuming they wish to enter the league right away. Therefore, this is a standard signing and was expected.

Johnson, the eighth overall pick by the Pistons in the 2015 NBA Draft, averaged a team-high 16.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks while shooting 57.7% from the field at the recently concluded NBA Orlando Summer League.

A native of Los Angeles, Calif., the 6-foot-7 forward from the University of Arizona, averaged a team-high 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 28.4 minutes in 38 games. The 2015 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year was the lone freshman named to the All-Pac-12 or NABC All-District 20 First team. He was also named to the Pac-12 Tournament All-Tournament Team and was one of five finalists for the inaugural Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. Johnson led all freshmen in the Pac-12 in scoring (13.8 ppg), steals (1.5 spg), free throws made and free throw attempts and was one of just two freshmen in major college basketball conferences to average at least 13.5 points and 6.0 rebounds (Jahlil Okafor). He scored in double-figures in 30 of 38 games and ranked second on the team in rebounds and steals.

Johnson has won three gold medals with Team USA, (2011 U-16, 2012 U-17, 2014 U-18 FIBA Americas Championships) earning MVP honors in the 2014 U-18 FIBA Americas Championships after averaging team-highs of 14.0 points and 2.2 steals. At Mater Dei High School, Johnson became the first player in California to win four-straight upper-division state titles. He participated in the 2014 Jordan Classic, the 2013 Under Armour Elite 24 Games and the 2013 Nike Global Games. Johnson was named a McDonalds All-American, MaxPreps National Player of the Year, a Parade All-American, was named to the USA Today All-USA first team and was one of three national finalists for the Naismith Trophy High Schools Player of the Year.

Here’s the Detroit News reporting on Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson, who has been handed a very large sum of money to life the squad to a brighter future:

Reggie Jackson might not be another Mr. Big Shot.

But he is now, officially, the best shot for the Pistons to end this era of irrelevance, one that was at least symbolically ushered in by an ill-advised trade — Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson — in November 2008.

This franchise has been searching in vain for a leader — on the floor and in his prime — ever since, spiraling from mutiny to malaise. And the underlying message Monday, as president/coach Stan Van Gundy announced Jackson’s five-year, $80 million extension during a news conference at The Palace, was as much about that as anything else.

Jackson didn’t bother holding up a No. 1 jersey — the same one Billups wore in the championship heyday of a decade ago — because “he’s already worn it,” Van Gundy noted.