2018 Season Observations

[dd24]

Thus far it seems like Tobias has really stepped up. He's turning into a star player. Not superstar, but borderline all-star. Stanley Johnson has been great on defense. Outside of that he looks terrible. Borderline bust. Henry Ellenson needs more PT. He's been very good so far. SVG needs to just bench someone else. Bradley has been better than I expected too. Although it's a contract year for him so I guess everyone plays a bit better somehow when that happens. Reggie is disappointing so far. I'd consider moving him and another player to Phoenix for Bledsoe. I'd like to see Kennard get some more minutes. He shows some promise but we haven't seen much yet. Drummond is stepping it up again. His offense still seems limited but his free throw shooting is obviously far better. I'd still like to see him get closer to 17-18 ppg. Joel Embiid killed him. It's clear who the best young C in the East is until Drummond can expand his offensive game.

[Aussie Dunker]

Yep agree on most of what you said. Tobias looks insanely smooth on offense this year, really impressed and hoping he can continue to be a focal point for us. No reason why he can't average 25 ppg for us.

I disagree with the borderline bust for Stanley, kid is still 21 and already I would label him as one of the best wing defenders in the league. He is really a disruptor on D especially alongside Bradley, that is a good combination for us.

I would 100% be trying to flip Reggie into Bledsoe, as Bledsoe is a savvy defender aswell and Bled / Brad / Stan would cause issues for opposing teams.

Ellenson needs more minutes agreed. Tolliver has looked great with the time he has played especially against the Knicks. Ish has looked good and I really like what Galloway provides.

Embiid really is something special, kid still hasn't played 50 NBA games and just kills opposing bigs, he is so smooth and strong,

[dd24]

I'm moving the Bledsoe stuff over here. I guess those reports that Phoenix wants way too much are true! We didn't just offer Reggie. It was Jackson + a 1st round pick.

[QUOTE]The Detroit Pistons offered a package including point guard Reggie Jackson and a first-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for guard Eric Bledsoe, a league source told Basketball Insiders. Phoenix turned down the proposal, Basketball Insiders has learned. Detroit

[ZMonkey11]

1) Given our stellar start, I was so wrong with this team and apologize to SVG for losing faith in him.

2) Tobias Harris! Has he come our leader? I think its between him and Avery.

3) Drummond! Free Throws up. ASSISTS UP! My main complaint about Drummond is his IQ. But, he is taking his time more as a setup man. The play that sold me was when he got had the ball kicked out to him at the elbow. He had a wide open shot and in the past, probably would have taken that weak jumper. Instead, he took the extra second, saw Tobias cutting and made the perfect pass for a jam.

[ZMonkey11]

I'd also like to extend an extra apology to Anthony Tolliver.

What is he doing this year??? He's had so many highlight plays and looks really active. My bad man. I thought you were trash. But, you are much more than that.

[Aussie Dunker]

I think Dre is our leader, in all honesty. I think Avery has set the level of what it takes to be competitive - how to be professional etc. He is providing great veteran leadership but I think it all circles back to Dre and his growth both with his game and mentally.

Harris doesn't strike me as a leader he strikes me as someone who just loves doing their thing. He is an elite role player who is almost the best three point shooter in the league this year - which has allowed our offense so much space it's great.

Tolliver is a SVG wet dream, very competent from 3, and hustles and defends like his life is on the line. Ellenson really needs to step things up to take game time off him.

Galloway has quietly been pretty good for us as well - he is shooting great percentages and playing hard on D. Very good compliment for our 2nd unit.

[dd24]

Aussie, wasn't it you that liked Oladipo so much coming out of college going into that draft? I know I wasn't as high on him. He's killing it in Indiana. He definitely made the difference against us tonight. That Paul George trade isn't looking so bad because he's been putting up George numbers so far this year.

[ZMonkey11]

I think Dre is our leader, in all honesty. I think Avery has set the level of what it takes to be competitive - how to be professional etc. He is providing great veteran leadership but I think it all circles back to Dre and his growth both with his game and mentally.

Harris doesn't strike me as a leader he strikes me as someone who just loves doing their thing. He is an elite role player who is almost the best three point shooter in the league this year - which has allowed our offense so much space it's great.

Tolliver is a SVG wet dream, very competent from 3, and hustles and defends like his life is on the line. Ellenson really needs to step things up to take game time off him.

Galloway has quietly been pretty good for us as well - he is shooting great percentages and playing hard on D. Very good compliment for our 2nd unit.

The reason I wouldn't select Dre as our leader is because I keep seeing him be the person that puts the least effort on defense at any given time. He still looks lost at points out there.

And that could lead to our biggest problem...there is no clear cut leader. But hey...I'd say that was a benefit to the mid-2000s team. Leaders at specific points in the game.

[dd24]

Chauncey was the main leader. I don't see Reggie ever taking over that role. Big Ben and Sheed definitely have more leadership than what I've seen out of anybody on this roster. When Dre has been engaged on defense this season he's been spectacular. Then there's games he just kind of takes off. You're right though, someone needs to step up. Maybe part of it is most of these guys are still so young.

[Aussie Dunker]

Aussie, wasn't it you that liked Oladipo so much coming out of college going into that draft? .

Yep - absolutely was. Super athlete who competes like a hound dog. Was only a matter of time before he started to refine his skillset which is what we are seeing now. He was always going to develop more towards his mid 20's than early 20's - he had a great foundation to build from. We never had a chance at drafting him though.

[Aussie Dunker]

Billups was our vocal leader and Big Ben was our "lead by example" guy.

I think this team has some high character players on it, all holding each other accountable which is great.

Dre is an MVP candidate, based on his play thus far and our team record, and Reggie has never looked more comfortable in my opinion.

Bradley and Harris have both taken steps forward, and I have been super impressed with our bench with Tolliver, Kennard, Galloway, and especially Ish Smith

Moreland has come out of no where and contributes when he gets the chance.

Ellenson needs to work harder if he wants game time - good motivation for the kid

[dd24]

Looks like we may have really missed on Mitchell this past draft. He was projected as a SG which is why I wasn't big on him. He's obviously best at PG though. Without Rubio on the floor he has been dominating. Outside of Ben Simmons he's probably the best rookie this season, and to be fair Simmons isn't truly a rookie. This is looking to be a very good rookie class though.

[dd24]

So much for that hot start. 6 straight losses and we are back to mediocrity.

[dd24]

I think we can officially call Stanley Johnson a bust at this point. He's lost his starting job to Reggie Bullock. He was given a chance this season finally and he blew it.

[dd24]

It only took half of our team being injured but Kennard finally got some real minutes last night and looked good. Hopefully we can see more of him and see what we have there. SF seems to be the one position that we are really lacking at still. It's been that way for years. PG definitely could use an upgrade too. We've to either draft a SF or take a chance at one in free agency. Obviously if we draft one SVG doesn't play rookies or even sophomores at all. It would be 4 years before the poor person that was drafted would even get to play. So that pretty much just leaves us free agency. I think they should take a look at Beasley. Every time he is given an opportunity he puts up nearly 30 a game.... He can just light it up. Yet every team he ends up on just lets him be on fire for a stretch and then sends him back to the bench. He could be had for cheap and he's a guy that can actually put the ball in the bucket on a consistent basis. The Pistons could really use someone like that. If Harris could stay consistent then that would be huge. When he puts in over 20 points that team has been great. The nights he gets shut down they look terrible usually. Another guy who could score would solve that problem.

[dd24]

So there's been a few names in the trade rumors lately. Stanley Johnson is one that is being thrown out there. It makes sense. He's been a complete bust for us but still has a little upside. He's for sure not going to work out here. That's obvious. Maybe he can make a turn around somewhere else like Dinwiddie did. It's obvious he's not going to be a Piston for the long run.

The other name that seems to keep being in the rumors is Reggie Jackson. It's pretty clear that SVG doesn't see him as good enough. It's just his best option for now. It's also clear we can't be a good team with him. This team is very mediocre. It's slightly above mediocre with him, but he can never stay healthy. The thing that sucks is no team is just going to swap us an upgrade at PG for him. That wouldn't make sense. Since the Pistons are now stuck in mediocrity we will never end up with a good enough pick to make a difference. This is exactly what I've been worried about forever now. Part of the problem is we win when Tobias scores over 20 typically. If he doesn't then we lose. He needs help. He's nearing an all-star level but he isn't quite consistent enough. Plus teams can focus on him.

Kennard is the guy that teams want. SVG has said no way to that. One would think he would play more if SVG was actually so high on him. I think teams know what Detroit does with rookies and they know they would play them more and they would do better in their systems. If we're going to be mediocre may as well develop someone while we're at it. I like what Kennard has done so far. Mitchell is the guy we could really use, hindsight 20/20, but I still think Kennard is going to be good. Which scares me about giving Bradley a long term deal. Sure they have him play SF some. That's not his position though. If they sign him to a 4 or 5 year deal then Kennard will be benched for that many years basically. Or if they go small and start Bradley and Kennard we can count on not winning for another half decade. This team is very frustrating. For as smart as SVG is, and he really does say a lot of stuff that makes sense, he is just terrible with the roster moves. He needs to coach and the team needs a real GM that is in charge of the roster 100%. I think throughout the league it's pretty much proven that coaches with a lot of power over the roster (like the Clippers for example) don't have good results.

[sundog67]

FWIW, I dont see Stanley as a bust. He has some bonehead moments but he rarely gives up on defense where I believe he's an asset as opposed to RJ's defensive liability.

RJ in my opinion is the one we need to get rid of. Super talented, but selective in when he applies it. When he moves the ball within the first 10 seconds of the shot clock, things go well. But he'll often dribble away the shot clock leaving no time for team offense. Excellent finisher around the rim but unpredictable when he'll turn it on and be aggressive. Possibly because of his injuries, but regardless of reason it's not good to have a tentative PG out there.

The upside is that we've gotten to see the potential from guys like Luke and Dwight, who seem to be thriving. We'll see what happens with the addition of Felder in his temporary contract.

[dd24]

Dinwiddie made us letting him go look really bad today lol. He's clearly no where near the same player he was a few years ago. He really looks like he should be a NBA starter now. Without a doubt one of the most improved players. Everyone including myself though he was a bust.

[ZMonkey11]

The Detroit Pistons made me feel like a fool at the beginning of the year because I doubted them.

Blow the team up. Keep Kennard. Draft picks. Trust the Process.

[dd24]

Pretty much what I've been saying for years (minus the Kennard part lol). It does look like Luke is the SG of the future here. He's the only rookie I can remember that has kinda cracked the rotation with Van Gundy. When he gets minutes he usually puts up good numbers. I like Dre and Tobias. We still need a PG and a SF. It seems like we've all been saying this for years. We aren't going to land one in free agency. I would highly doubt we can get one in a trade (at least to the caliber that we want I mean). The only way to do it is the draft. We can't do it in the draft if the team keeps fighting to be mediocre. To be honest I think most people would say they like the young talent in Chicago and Milwaukee more than they do here. That doesn't look well for our future. I say move Reggie if we can and try to get a 1st round pick out of him. Try to move Stanley Johnson too. He's at least somewhat valuable before people realize he's a bust. Let the Bucks have the 8 seed. This is a loaded draft, but right now we are just outside of lottery territory where the quality of the picks start going down. Let's see more of Kennard and Ellenson. Let's make a few moves. Then if we have another first and our potential lottery pick maybe we can move up for once and get an impact player.

[dd24]

Is anybody else really not excited about Bullock starting at SF? I know there aren't a lot of options, but it's just not working. Here's his stats in 22 starts: 10.3 ppg, 2.0 threes per game, 2.0 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.9 spg, & 0.2 bpg It's not really rocket science as to why we are losing games. Now Philly has a 3 game lead on the 8 seed. I really don't want to be the 8 seed. I've said forever it's the worst place to be. The actual exception to that is Philly. They have a #1 draft pick who hasn't really played yet and a young core that will only go up. They can totally afford to be an 8 seed. The Pistons on the other hand can't attract a top FA, don't have the assets to make a major trade, and could really use a top lottery pick for once. Time to start developing the younger guys so we can draft a PG or SF.