After last season's disappointing playoff exit in the second round, the offseason focus for the Detroit Pistons was adding more offensive juice. There was an understanding that the Pistons desperately needed to become a better offensive team to be a true title contender.
But the front office shied away from making blockbuster moves to address these concerns. They still tried to add more shooting with the hope of improving the team's offense.
Even though the Pistons are off to a great start, the offense is, once again, nowhere near where it needs to be. In fact, it's actually in a much worse spot than the numbers suggest because Duncan Robinson's excellence has been masking the struggles.
Duncan Robinson has been saving the Pistons' offense
Robinson has been on an absolute tear to start the season. He is averaging 19 points per game on an incredible 69.7% True Shooting. He has been one of the most efficient players in the league on the back of elite three-point shooting. He is hitting 47.9% of his threes on a whopping 9.1 attempts per game.
Only Luka Doncic and Steph Curry are making more threes per game than Robinson, but the Pistons sharpshooter is shooting a higher percentage than both superstars.
Robinson has historically been one of the best shooters in the NBA, but this is unsustainable even by his standards. There will inevitably be a regression. And when that comes, the Pistons may be in trouble.
Unlike last season, the Pistons are in the top half of the league in three-point makes and percentage this season. But their offensive efficiency has taken a big hit. Last season, they were the tenth-ranked offense with 118.3 offensive rating. This season, they are only scoring 114 points per 100 possessions, good for 16th in the NBA, per Cleaning the Glass.
If Robinson were shooting his normal percentages, the Pistons would be ranked a couple of spots lower. This is not a great place to be for a team with title aspirations.
Detroit will continue to win games in the regular season because they have the best defense in the league by a mile. For playoff success, however, they need to be more of a two-way team.
Jalen Duren's return will certainly help. Once Isaiah Joe is back, he should also help offensively. But the schematic and personnel problems remain. The Pistons still don't have enough shot creation and shooting. They still have too many non-shooters and non-scoring threats in the rotation. There aren't enough jumpers Robinson can make to change that reality.
Add us as a preferred source on Google