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Negative signs:
#1 Lack of good role players
The Detroit Pistons have 2 great stars in Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond that can lead the team to the playoffs. But every star needs good role players that can help the team with valuable contributions, whether in the starting 5 or off the bench. The Pistons lack such offensive or defensive juggernauts in the squad.
They have Reggie Jackson, Ish Smith and Jose Calderon as their point guards, with Ish Smith and Jose Calderon over 30 years old, while Jackson is an inconsistent performer at best. They lack good shooters too that can space the floor for the 2 big stars in the middle.
Players like Luke Kennard, Bruce Brown, Wayne Ellington, Langston Galloway among others, have failed to impress and hold down a starting berth of sorts. Their game changes on a day to day basis, which is just not what the Pistons need from their role players.
Apart from Thon Maker, who is still unproven, there are no viable centers or power forwards on the roster that can even try to replace Griffin or Drummond. This will affect their chances to both make the playoffs and stay in the playoffs once they get there.
#2 Young players are not stepping up
The young players on the Detroit Pistons, the ones they had a lot of their hopes pinned on, are just not stepping up when they are called upon.
Apart from some recent scoring by Luke Kennard, he has just not had a good start to his NBA career. In his 2 seasons, he has averaged just 8.4 points a game, along with 1.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds a game. Even though the Pistons staff are really high on him, he has been unable to hold down a spot in the starting 5, even when there is not much competition for it.
Thon Maker has not been given a lot of opportunities yet with this team, but he does not seem to be much different than when he was with the Milwaukee Bucks. Bruce Brown similarly has been a player that is there to fix a spot. He is averaging a lowly 4.6 points a game, with 1.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds a game.
Granted, these players do not get as many chances, but they still get minutes somewhere in the 20 minutes mark, and if they are still not able grab their opportunities, maybe the Pistons need to look elsewhere next season.
