Detroit Pistons: Good and Bad so far

With just a handful of games being played in the 2014-2015 season, the Detroit Pistons have gotten off to a rocky start under new coach, Stan Van Gundy. But at 2-3 and winners of two straight, Detroit has shown signs of improvement compared to last season.

For starters, forward Greg Monroe has played well after serving his two game suspension for a DUI. In a contract year, Monroe has been playing well early, his 28.71 PER, currently has him eight in the league.

To complement the solid play of Monroe, second year guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope appears to be finding his groove with the team, averaging 19.5 points per game and shooting 58% in his last two games.

Even though Detroit was 2-3 through five games last season. The team appears to be playing harder and has bought into Van Gundy’s system and competes, through the first five games at least.

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The new additions seem to have the team playing better. D.J. Augustine has been solid off the bench and at times found himself taking minutes away from starter Brandon Jennings. Caron Butler has been the shooter Detroit has been looking for, shooting 42% from three.

Defense has been better than last season, currently 7^th in the league, allowing opponents to score 95.6 points per game.

It’s still very early and there is a lot of basketball left to be played, so, let’s not crown them yet. There are still some problems Detroit has to fix.

One problem has been the play of Josh Smith. In the first five games, Smith has shot the ball at least 14 times and has not shot over 40%. Smith also hasn’t connected on a three-point shot either, going 0/9 so far.

Another area of concern for the Detroit Pistons moving forward is the front court. Starting the first three games for Kyle Singler didn’t pan out very well, he struggled shooting from the floor and wasn’t very effective. Finding somebody who can play the small forward position and fit in with Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe will be a challenge for Stan Van Gundy as the season progresses.

In addition to problems on the wing, Detroit has had problems finding consistent offense. The team has failed to crack the 100 point mark through the first five games and currently 29^th in scoring, barely ahead of the banged up Thunder.

This problem should be solved with the return of shooter Jodie Meeks and more time spent learning Van Gundy’s system and playing together.

A positive to take away, with the 98-95 win over the Bucks Friday night marks the first time Detroit has won consecutive games since the 2014 All-Star break.