NBA Preview Series: Detroit Pistons

Last Year
29-53 (23rd in NBA)
OFF: 102.9 (19th)
DEF: 107.3 (26th)
NET: -4.4 (24th)

Projected Rotation (Projected WS/48)

Starters
PG - Brandon Jennings (.082)
SG - Jodie Meeks (.091)
SF - Caron Butler (.072)
PF - Josh Smith (.048)
C - Andre Drummond (.173)

Reserves
PF - Greg Monroe (.110)
PG - D.J. Augustin (.130)
SG - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (.062)
PF - Jonas Jerebko (.101)
SF - Kyle Singler (.077)

Quick Thoughts:
It appears that Stan Van Gundy will not be using Josh Smith at small forward, which isn't surprising given his emphasis on spacing and shot selection. This is great news for Pistons fans: according to nbawowy.com, in the 1367 minutes that Smith, Andre Drummond, and Greg Monroe shared the floor, the team was atrocious defensively, giving up over 112 Points Per 100 Possessions, and had a Net Rating of -7.1. But when only two of the three played while the other sat, it was a different story:

Pair	MP	ORtg	DRtg	NRtg
Monroe-Drummond	309	112.5	109.8	2.7
Smith-Drummond	510	109.1	108.8	0.3
Smith-Monroe	722	109.4	105.4	4.0

Now, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what to do, but it will take a strong personality to manage the egos involved, and Van Gundy is just that. It won't be easy though. Drummond is the best of the three, and a budding superstar, so he needs to play as much as possible. Monroe turned down guaranteed money this summer in order to enter unrestricted free agency next year, so he'll want the chance to showcase his talents. And Smith is due $40 million over the next three seasons, seemingly earning him starters minutes (and making the Pistons victim to the sunk cost fallacy). If he can keep everyone happy, Van Gundy has surrounded them with enough shooting to make this a playoff team. 

Player to Watch: Jonas Jerebko
Van Gundy likes to employ a stretch four, and none of the Smith, Drummond, or Monroe trio can shoot beyond a few feet from the basket. Jerebko didn't come into the league with three point range, although he's been a pretty good midrange shooter. But he's increased both his accuracy and volume since he was a rookie, shooting over 40% last year on five attempts every 100 possessions. Don't be surprised if Jerebko is used more often this season if he can sustain his improved shooting.


Basketball-Reference.com Play Index:
Which players have had the highest Rebounding Percentage over the first two seasons of their career (minimum 2500 minutes)?

Player	Tm	MP	ORB%	DRB%	TRB%	WS/48
Andre Drummond	DET	3862	16.8	27.6	22.0	.179
Shaquille O'Neal	ORL	6295	13.4	25.3	19.6	.209
Arvydas Sabonis*	POR	3497	8.8	28.6	18.9	.219
David Robinson*	SAS	6097	12.2	24.8	18.7	.253
Zydrunas Ilgauskas	CLE	2550	14.5	22.4	18.5	.185
Robert Parish*	GSW	3353	12.3	24.9	18.5	.127
DeMarcus Cousins	SAC	4259	12.2	25.1	18.4	.059
Dikembe Mutombo	DEN	5745	11.9	24.5	18.0	.114
Hakeem Olajuwon*	HOU	5381	15.7	20.2	17.9	.176
Vlade Divac	LAL	3921	11.4	22.8	17.3	.163

Drummond is also the youngest player on this list.


Next up, the Milwaukee Bucks