Detroit Pistons: 3 Players That Disappointed This Season

With the reigning Coach of the Year, Dwane Casey at the helm, Detroit Pistons were 21st in offense and 12th in defense in his inaugural season. Ending the year with a 41-41 (0.500) win-loss record, Blake Griffin and his Pistons somehow managed to grab the final berth in the postseason, only to be swept by the mighty Bucks in the very first round.

For things to continue on an upward swing next year as well, many of the pieces need to fall in place. Griffin's All-Star numbers and his leadership were a couple of positives in an otherwise forgettable outing for the franchise.

Many experts expressed their displeasure at the lack of help for Blake (who averaged 24.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 5.4 apg) down in Detroit. Come to think of it, the team as a whole struggled despite him posting career-high numbers.

So without further ado, here are the three most disappointing individual performers for Detroit in the 2018-19 season.

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#1 Stanley Johnson

Stanley Johnson was traded to the Pelicans in February

Johnson was picked 8th overall by the Pistons back in 2015 in what was considered a developmental effort by the franchise. In college, Johnson shot a decent 37% from long range on more than three 3-point shots a game. But the 6-foot-7 small forward from Arizona State failed to conjure a consistent 3-point shot in Detroit.

In the 48 games he played for Detroit this season, Stanley shot a miserable 28% from beyond the arc and averaged just 7.5 points per game. He was slated to become the next Jimmy Butler but his distance shooting issues over a prolonged period of time meant more problems for Detroit.

Over the course of four seasons in the NBA, Stanley's 3-point shooting numbers - .307, .292, .286, .288 - were unbelievably consistent but disappointing at the same time. Attempting over 7 shots per game from the field in an average of 20 minutes of playtime, his numbers were as underwhelming as they could be.

Johnson was scooped up by the Pelicans in a three-team trade involving the Pistons and Bucks.

#2 Jose Calderon

Calderon played 28 games for the Pistons back in 2013.

In his return to Detroit this past summer, the Spanish point guard came off the bench in all 49 games he played. Having been signed as a third point guard by the Pistons in the offseason of 2018, Calderon struggled mightily in his games with the franchise, averaging just 2.3 points and 2.3 assists per game.

When backup point guard Ish Smith got sidelined due to injury, Jose failed to capitalise on his increased role with the team, exhibiting lackluster defense and a glaring inability to hit shots. Detroit went 5-15 in that stretch.

For the season, Jose shot a meager 24% from beyond the arc and much to the relief of Detroit fans, was taken out of the rotation when Smith returned in the second week of January.

His familiarity with the city of Detroit and Coach Casey along with his cool veteran presence in the locker room didn't amount to much during his stint.

#3 Langston Galloway

Langston was All-Rookie second team in 2015.

The 27-year-old played 80 games for the Motor City and scored an average of 8.4 points per game on 38% shooting from the field. These numbers are good but you expect better from someone on his pay scale.

Courtesy of a three-year, $21 million contract signed back in July of 2017, Galloway is Detroit's fourth-highest paid player and as time's passed, it's turned out to be a bad investment for the franchise. Jusuf Nurkic is the fourth-highest paid on his team and we all know how big a role plays down in Portland.

Coming off the bench, Langston got over 22 minutes of playing time while taking over 7 shots per game. What Langston proved to be was an ultimate representation of the lack of production from the Pistons bench. Galloway started in just 4 of the 80 games he played during the 2018-19 regular season.