{"id":987,"date":"2016-10-01T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2016-10-01T12:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=987"},"modified":"2016-10-02T16:04:35","modified_gmt":"2016-10-02T20:04:35","slug":"successful-detroit-pistons-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2016\/10\/01\/successful-detroit-pistons-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Key Factors to a Successful Detroit Pistons Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the 2016-17\u00a0NBA<\/strong>\u00a0season, headlines will be dominated by\u00a0<\/u>Kevin Durant<\/a><\/u><\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0Golden State Warriors<\/strong>\u00a0on a daily basis. However, having a super-team doesn\u2019t guarantee a championship; just look at the 2012-13\u00a0Los Angeles Lakers<\/strong>. Everything can change and anything can happen in the NBA. A team can implode, the injury bug could strike, or a team simply might not play to its potential. In this\u00a0Last Word On Pro Basketball<\/strong>\u00a0series, we\u2019ll break down which two key factors will determine the fate of each NBA team in the upcoming season.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Two Factors to a Successful\u00a0Detroit Pistons Season<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The Detroit Pistons<\/strong> has been moving in an overall positive direction<\/a> for some time<\/a> now. Sure there were a few hiccups, but in general there was always movement towards a better team. This is year three of Stan Van Gundy’s<\/strong> tenure—eons in basketball time. Pistons have a make or break year <\/a>on their hands. The first factor that will be critical for the Pistons is the leadership of Andre Drummond<\/a><\/strong> and his ability to sustain high performances from himself. The second factor is over achieving supporting cast. Sure, Reggie Jackson<\/a><\/strong> is a quality starter. He plays above and beyond the team’s needs, but he is the second fiddle. That isn’t a slight, that is\u00a0an assessment that Drummond is the engine that makes this team go. Anyone who disagrees on the team needs to become more realistic. Everyone needs to fall in line behind Drummond. What will help Drummond in the long run will be how well his back up plays to sustain the leads Drummond builds and buy him quality rest time.<\/p>\n

What Makes Drummond Tick?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For a stretch, Drummond averaged 20.3\u00a0points and 20.3\u00a0rebounds per game, becoming the first player since Wilt Chamberlain<\/a> 45 years ago to have 135 points and 135 rebounds. What makes Drummond tick is rebounds and points. He needs to eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Pistons only job is to feed him. Amazingly this production wasn’t even an improvement from the year before, in 2014-15 he was grabbing,\u00a049.3 percent of contested rebounds\u00a0and in 2015-16\u00a0he grabbed\u00a047.4\u00a0percent. He grabbed a few more uncontested rebounds (50.7 percent\u00a0versus\u00a052.6 percent).<\/p>\n

To get more rebounds,\u00a0Drummond simply made sure he was closer to the basketball\u00a0more times (29.2 versus 19.2 the year before). \u00a0It seems so simple, but fans should be happy to hear that, because it means it can and will\u00a0happen again. The main reason that everyone should fall in line behind Drummond is because of his usage. In order for him to maintain his high scoring, his efficiency needs to rise a bit higher (he had a career high 62.3 percent in 2013-14) and his usage must increase.<\/p>\n

Drummond isn’t used enough for a big man to average 20 points. The last guy to do it with low usage was Dwight Howard<\/a> and before that Chris Webber<\/a>. The chances are too slim. The Pistons are better off giving him the ball more.\u00a0So if the Pistons want to win more they need to give Drummond the ball. Plenty of NBA teams wish their solution was that easy.<\/p>\n

The New Over-Achievers<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The next thing Drummond needs is for his team to become the league’s new over-achievers. The Pistons have below-average shoooting. Although, they have above-average on ball movement and passing. Which is the perfect ingredient for over-achieving, according to the Hawks. Tobias Harris<\/a>, Jon\u00a0Laur, Henry Ellenson<\/a> and Marcus\u00a0Morris will need to become the reliable three point threats for the season in order for the Pistons to reach their fullest potential.\u00a0Luckily the Pistons find themselves in the perfect storm that made the Hawks great.<\/p>\n