2016-2017 NBA Previews – Pistons Odds
Looking for 2016 Detroit Pistons Predictions? We’ve got your back. No matter how you spin it, the 2015-16 campaign was a successful one for the Motor City. The team went 44-38 — its best record since the 2007-08 season — and made the playoffs for the first time since 2008-09.
Detroit Pistons Season Preview
Head Coach: Stan Van Gundy
2015-16 Record: 44-38
Pistons Odds to NBA Title: +10000
Pistons Odds to Win Conference: +4000
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Unfortunately for Detroit, it ran into the eventual NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers in Round 1. Despite playing hard and giving the Cavs more of a challenge than most expected, the Pistons ultimately fell 4-0 in the series.
Now, it’s time to see if Detroit can take that next step toward contention with a taste of the postseason still in its memory.
Detroit Pistons Strengths:
Andre. Drummond.
The Pistons big man signed a max contract extension this summer, making him the highest paid player in franchise history.
Yes, that has everything to do with inflation and the current state of the Association following a cap spike; however, the dollar amount isn’t surprising based on what he brings to this group.
An elite rebounder since entering the league, Drummond cleans glass like he has a spay bottle in one hand and a squeegee in the other. He’s also a force around the rim on both offense and defense.
There were questions when he came out of college regarding his work ethic and willingness to abandon the broken mid-range jumper that plagued him at UConn. He’s put those questions to rest, becoming one of the game’s best centers despite being just 23 years old.
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Alongside Drummond, Detroit has established a young core comprising youth across the board, including Stanley Johnson (draft) and Tobias Harris (trade). The move to bring in Reggie Jackson, 26, gives this team another player to grow around, this time in the backcourt.
With Stan Van Gundy at the helm, you know you’re going to get 100 percent effort night in and night out from this team.
He’s a no-nonsense kind of leader, and if his mindset trickles down to the players on the court and in the locker room, it’s good news for a team that has a chance to win games on occasional energy and scrappy-ness alone.
Detroit Pistons Weaknesses:
As great as Drummond has become, and will continue to be, it would be irresponsible not to mention the elephant in the room: free-throw shooting.
As Drummond continues to bloom, his free-throw shooting appears to do the opposite. He shot a career-worst 35.5 percent a year ago making him a true liability whenever opponents implement the Hack-a-Shaq loophole that has yet to be completely eradicated by the NBA.
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Shooting as a whole has been an issue for the Pistons in recent memory.
Ridding the roster of Greg Monroe two summers ago was supposed to help them trend in the right direction, but they’ve yet to establish a group of floor-spacers who can truly get them to the next level.
The team shot 43.9 percent from the floor last season, which was bad enough to be in the worst 5 in the Association.
The other thing that this group lacks is star power. Although we’d like to say this is an overrated part of the game and that quality teamwork can make up the difference, this simply isn’t the case.
Look at the state of the NBA. LeBron James has been to six straight NBA Finals appearances and is a defending champion along with Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and the rest of the highest paid roster in the league.
And in case you missed it, the Golden State Warriors now have for four All-Stars from the 2015-16 campaign.
Even the San Antonio Spurs, who have made dynasties out of fluid offensive schemes and unprecedented cohesion, had a Big Three in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili before having a “Big Three” was the sexy thing to do. (They now have LaMarcus Aldridge, Kawhi Leonard and Pau Gasol to play alongside Parker and Ginobili).
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Developing a star to play alongside Drummond could be difficult with the current makeup of the roster, which means a trade in the next year or two may be Detroit’s only real chance of reaching second-tier status.
Detroit Pistons Betting Prediction: 44-38
The Pistons should be in the hunt for home-court advantage during the first round of the playoffs this season.
Vegas set the over/under for this team at 44.5, and although we could see it going slightly over, the East proved to be better than advertised last year, giving Detroit the competition we need to justify a slight under entering the new season.
2016 NBA Gambling
What do you think about our 2016 Detroit Pistons predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in the 2016-2017 NBA Season!
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