Grading the Detroit Pistons' Final 15-Man Roster
The Detroit Pistons have six new faces on the roster and a new head coach to start the 2013-14 season, and they are certainly hoping that all the changes lead to a different result than in 2013-14.
This edition of the Pistons roster is deeper and better-coached than any other in the past five years, and five of the six newcomers can really shoot the three—one of Detroit's biggest weaknesses a year ago. But making the jump from winning 29 games to making the playoffs is a very tall order, even in the Eastern Conference.
The Pistons have at least two players worthy of rotation minutes at every single position. However, there is a clear lack of top-end talent on the perimeter—something that just wouldn't be said of any real contender around the NBA.
For this evaluation of their final 15-man roster, each position is assigned a grade based on its talent relative to the rest of the league, and each is graded on a curve.
For instance, having LeBron James or Kevin Durant at small forward would earn an A+ because they're at the very top of their position. Having someone like Lamarcus Aldridge at power forward would earn a similar grade because he's among the top at his position, even if he's clearly a lesser player than James or Durant.
There is an unfortunate lack of evidence on what the new-look Pistons will be like under Stan Van Gundy, but this looks at their lineup's presumed strengths and weaknesses heading into the season.
Point Guard
1 of 5
Projected starter: Brandon Jennings
Backups: D.J. Augustin and Spencer Dinwiddie
As predicted before the season began, there is the makings of a point guard controversy in Detroit.
Brandon Jennings took a step forward as a passer in 2013-14, but his love for taking head-scratching shots did not wane. In stepped Van Gundy, who signed D.J. Augustin after a career-revitalizing year with the Chicago Bulls. Then the coach told Vincent Goodwill Jr. of The Detroit News that Jennings needed to improve his shot selection.
"The issues with him are defensively and his shooting percentage. It's a function of one or two shots a game where he doesn't get on balance and sort of throws up a careless one. You just give away possessions, it's hard to get to a good percentage because you're not gonna shoot 65 percent on the shots where you really are (taking them).
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And in the season opener against the Denver Nuggets, it was Augustin who was the better player with a 15-point, three-assist line to Jennings' four points and two dimes. Van Gundy acknowledged Augustin's performance by leaving him on the court in the fourth quarter while Jennings watched from the bench.
The problem for Detroit is that, regardless of who ultimately ends up as the starter, that guy will not be an above-average NBA point guard. There's a reason Augustin has played for five teams in five years, just as there is a reason that the Milwaukee Bucks were willing to move Jennings after four seasons.
Augustin is best-suited to be a team's third guard and change-of-pace scorer off the bench. Jennings still has the potential to be a top-15 lead guard, but his window to prove he can be that player is shrinking by the game. There's a chance he never becomes more than a top bench scorer a la Jamal Crawford.
Unless they make a move, the Pistons will have one of the best backup point guards in the NBA—and one of the 10 worst starters.
Grade: C-
Shooting Guard
2 of 5
Projected starter: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Backup: Jodie Meeks
What was supposed to be a very interesting competition for the starting shooting guard spot has been derailed by a preseason injury.
Jodie Meeks, the Pistons' biggest offseason acquisition, could miss the first six weeks of the regular season with an injury to his lower back. With him out of the lineup, second-year player Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has become the starter by necessity.
In theory, the two of them make a lot of sense together. Meeks is very good offensively, averaging nearly 16 points on 40.1 percent shooting from the arc in 2013-14. On the other hand, Caldwell-Pope has already proven to be a rangy defender with very good athleticism and lanky arms designed seemingly for harassing offensive players.
Ideally, the two would share minutes at shooting guard and even play alongside each other for short bursts. Then Van Gundy could decide who to use down the stretch in close games based on who was playing better or on matchup.
Instead, it's just Caldwell-Pope for the first stretch of the season.
Even when there are no health concerns, neither is a complete player. Meeks is a liability defensively and lacks the length necessary to be a stopper. Caldwell-Pope looked improved in preseason action, but he averaged just 5.9 points on 39.6 percent shooting from the field as a rookie.
He was even less impressive in their season debut, making just three of 19 field goals and one of eight threes against the Nuggets. He only attempted more than 14 shots once as a rookie, when he took 19 in the season finale against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Much like their situation at point guard, the Pistons have two players who would be excellent role players but are below-average starters. However, shooting guard is the league's weakest position, and these two offer more versatility than Jennings and Augustin.
Grade: C
Small Forward
3 of 5
Projected starter: Kyle Singler
Backups: Caron Butler, Luigi Datome, Cartier Martin
The biggest hole in the Pistons lineup is undoubtedly at small forward.
Last season, the position was manned by Josh Smith and his 3.4 three-point attempts per game. Van Gundy hasn't ruled out using the three-big lineup again this season—which certainly says something about their lack of talent here—but it seems almost certain the doses will be smaller than in 2013-14.
If Smith doesn't start at the 3, the nod will likely go to Kyle Singler, who spent much of last season's second half as their starting shooting guard. He's an energy guy who is better suited to defend small forwards than shooting guards, but there is no way he should be a starter on a team with playoff aspirations. He averaged under 10 points, four rebounds and one assist per game last season and was a minus defender.
Unfortunately, there just isn't a better option.
Caron Butler is a shell of his former self, though he is a dangerous enough shooter to help the Pistons offense off the bench. Luigi Datome was pegged as the answer to their shooting woes last season, but he never proved worthy of rotation minutes. And Cartier Martin is an end-of-the-bench journeyman who is at best their third option at the 3.
The Smith-is-a-small-forward experiment was a failure in its first go-around, and his lack of three-point range makes him seem like an unlikely fit for Van Gundy's floor-spacing offense. But behind him are four players who have no business starting. Singler will be among the worst five starting small forwards in the NBA this season. Their saving grace is that everyone not named Smith really can shoot the ball.
Grade: D
Power Forward
4 of 5
Projected starter: Josh Smith
Backups: Greg Monroe, Jonas Jerebko, Tony Mitchell
There is no doubt that the strength of this Pistons team is in the paint.
They have three big men who would be above-average NBA starters, and unless Smith goes to the 3 again, one of them will be coming off the bench this season.
That should be a major advantage for them on almost every night—perhaps only the Chicago Bulls will have better reserve big men.
Greg Monroe will miss the season's first two games due to a drunk-driving suspension, and Smith started at power forward in the season opener. We will see who gets the nod in game three, but Monroe coming off the bench gives them the most flexibility for their initial substitutions.
Smith was their go-to guy offensively against the Nuggets, going 9-of-22 from the field for 25 points. He did take three triples, but he also attacked the hoop, getting to the line 11 times. It was far from a perfect game, but it was an improvement from what we saw in most of 2013-14.
Smith and Monroe will split most of the minutes, and Monroe's low-post game should be a nice change of pace from Smith's athletic game. Any leftover time will go to Jonas Jerebko, who proved last season that he is a competent role player who can be a decent stretch 4.
The three of them are a very talented group, and they'll give Van Gundy a lot of different looks to throw at opponents. The Pistons don't have an elite power forward, but they have two above-average guys who will man the position quite well.
Grade: B+
Center
5 of 5
Projected starter: Andre Drummond
Backups: Greg Monroe and Joel Anthony
The only way the Pistons can snag a playoff spot in the East is if they regularly get great performances from the center position.
Andre Drummond is far-and-away their best player and the only one guaranteed a starting spot. He's their centerpiece defensively, and a budding post game will get him an increased number of touches on the low block.
When Drummond is on the bench, it will more often than not be Monroe—whose natural position is the 5—who takes his place. The ability for the Pistons to theoretically have a top-12 center on the floor at all times is by far their biggest advantage as a team.
Drummond is the key to much of the potential the Pistons have as a team. He is one of the few players in the league who can have a 20-point, 20-rebound and five-block day in any game. But he can also be his own worst enemy.
His free-throw shooting is the most talked-about weakness, but he's also very prone to foul trouble, which can drastically limit his playing time. In the season opener, he fouled out in just 27 minutes, and he spent most of his night guarding Timofey Mozgov. If Drummond can't be disciplined against Mozgov, who outscored and out-rebounded Drummond, then the Pistons big man is going to really struggle against top opponents.
Drummond still has work to do, and Monroe must prove he can be at least an average defender. But Drummond is already one of the best centers in the NBA, and center is the one position where the Pistons can really flex some muscle this season.
Grade: A
All statistics accurate through October 30, 2014, and are from Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
Jakub Rudnik covers the Detroit Pistons as a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
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