Detroit Pistons Entering 2015-2016 NBA Season With New Look, Direction
With less than two weeks left until the 2015-2016 NBA campaign, Detroit Pistons fans once again look optimistically toward a new season. It’s been that way for the past few years now.
Unfortunately for them, it’s been the same story for the last six years as the Pistons have consistently been out of the playoff picture. Pistons fans have wished for lottery luck for far too long a franchise should.
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But for the first time in years, this Pistons team looks much different. There’s no Josh Smith to slow them down. Head Coach/Team President Stan Van Gundy too has shaped this team to his vision and coaching style.
Consider this, there are only three players Van Gundy has kept since he took over this team after the 2013-2014 season. Those three players are Brandon Jennings, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Andre Drummond.
Van Gundy has brought in veteran sharpshooters like Jodie Meeks, Anthony Tolliver, and Ersan Ilyasova to stretch the floor.
Then he’s also brought in young, franchise guys that down the road can be real leaders like Stanley Johnson and Reggie Jackson. You could even bring Marcus Morris into that discussion on his cheap 4 year, $20 million deal he’s on.
While Detroit isn’t a spot that free agents may want to routinely go, Van Gundy has worked his way around that through smart trades.
Overall there’s no denying that this Pistons team has a different feel. After the miserable 5-23 start to the Pistons season, they played .500 ball afterwards ultimately finishing with a 32-50 record.
While the final record isn’t by any means flashy, it shows the potential this Pistons team can have. After Jackson came to the Motor City mid-season, he showed great chemistry with Drummond on the pick-and-roll.
Caldwell-Pope took a step forward last year and looks to be taking a larger role in his third year. Meeks looks to be healthy this year after injuries slowed him down considerably.
Newcomers Morris and Ilyasova plan to split time at the Power Forward position with Tolliver taking any playing time left over.
And let’s not forget about Johnson and how well he has played so far in the Association. While it is only a mix of Summer League and parts of four preseason games, he seems to let the game just come to him.
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The Pistons’ eighth overall pick is looking to make his mark on the league in a big way. And with the amount of disrespect coming toward his way about Justise Winslow, look for him to play with a chip on his shoulder all season long.
This Pistons team has the potential to make some noise in the league. It’s Van Gundy’s second season in the D and he can also start his schemes much smoother.
There’s already a shift to the youth in Detroit and it’s only going to continue. While this team might experience some growing pains, that’s to be expected with such a young core.
But all in all, Pistons fans should be more than excited about this upcoming basketball season. The playing style that Van Gundy will carry out just makes sense.
No more are the days of the “Big 3” lineup where Pistons fans were forced to watch Smith take inefficient long 2s and 3s and shoot them out of some games. No more are the days where neither Greg Monroe or Drummond are forced to work with a packed paint because Smith is playing Small Forward.
There’s plenty of optimism surrounding this team and rightfully so. The staff Van Gundy has gathered figures to mesh and play well together.
With a clear direction of playing for both the present and the future, the Pistons fortunes look bright.
Now, your thoughts. How do you feel about this Pistons team? Good? Bad? Terrible? Whatever the case, it should be an exciting time in Detroit as they fight for a playoff spot for the first time in years.
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