The Detroit Pistons were the definition of an average team this past season, going 41-41 and losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Pistons actually looked good at certain points of the year, and at other junctures, they looked terrible. Basically, they found their middle ground as a .500 ballclub.
Due to the fact that Detroit had very limited available money going into the offseason, the Pistons could not spend much in free agency, landing Derrick Rose (a name that doesn't carry nearly as much cachet as it once did) and Markieff Morris. They also traded for Tony Snell.
Otherwise, Detroit was very quiet, as expected.
So, here are the three biggest offseason takeaways for the Pistons:
3. They Still Need Shooting
Detroit tried to address this problem by acquiring Snell, and Morris can at least spread the floor a bit up front, but overall, the Pistons remain a poor three-point shooting team, which is going to doom them once again next season.
Even if Luke Kennard takes a really big step forward next year, Detroit is simply not going to have enough floor spacing to be a legitimate threat. When you have a guy like Andre Drummond on the four, you really need four reliable shooters around him, and the Pistons are going to have a difficult time fielding that type of lineup.
Obviously, signing Rose is not going to help solve that problem, regardless of how good of a first couple of months he had this past season (which essentially proved to be a mirage).
Detroit desperately needs at least one other three-point threat.
2. They Still Don't Have a No. 2 Scorer
Blake Griffin is the clear No. 1 guy on the Pistons, but who is No. 2? Next in line would probably be Reggie Jackson, but if he is your No. 2 scorer, you are going to have problems.
Nothing against Jackson, who can be decent in certain situations, but his lack of a consistent jumper and his overall lack of consistency (and past injury issues) prevent him from being a true No. 2 option.
Detroit rode Griffin into the ground this past year, so much so that he was injured going into the playoffs and could only muster two games of hobbled ball against the Bucks.
People underestimate just how brilliant Griffin was this season, as he enjoyed what may have been the best season of his career. The Pistons need to get him some help before his body completely breaks down.
The problem is, they don't really have the assets to do it.
1. They are a Treadmill Team
Let's face it: the Pistons have become what every NBA front office tries to avoid becoming, and that is a treadmill team.
Detroit is good enough to win in the neighborhood of 40 games and compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but it isn't good enough to make a dent in the postseason, nor is it bad enough to land a good draft pick.
The Pistons are basically in NBA purgatory and have been there ever since their previous era of success ended in 2008. Bad front-office decisions have kept Detroit mired in mediocrity for a decade, and it doesn't appear to be changing.
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