After losing in Atlanta, the Detroit Pistons travel to Miami to take on the struggling Heat.
The Detroit Pistons’ roller-coaster of a season continued to roll Friday night as they lost against the Atlanta Hawks, 105-98.
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With Tobias Harris starting over an injured Marcus Morris, there was optimism Detroit could leave Atlanta with a win.
Though, the lineup change proved ineffective as Detroit continued to play subpar basketball.
Reggie Jackson, Andre Drummond, and Jon Leuer performed efficiently (as they have for most of their season), although their Piston counterparts did not. As it was not an awful team effort, there’s still something about Detroit that’s not right.
Whether it’s chemistry, Jackson, inconsistency, or coaching, the Pistons are obviously not the team they were that challenged the Cleveland Cavaliers in last year’s playoffs.
As most fans are frantic and urge for some drastic change, the Pistons merely need time. Fans must remember the age of the team, what they’re capable of, and where Stan Van Gundy wants to be in the future.
Has this season been disappointing? Yes. Would adding a young-ish all star to the roster help? Of course. Though, shipping and receiving a Piston or few for new ones would raise too many flags.
Would trading core players be an admission of failure for Van Gundy as he was incapable of succeeding with what he had? Would trading core players ultimately reveal last year’s success as just luck? Would a trade alter chemistry and bring the Pistons down further?
The best scenario is Detroit and Van Gundy continue to play ball and find a solution along the way. It’s very possible the Pistons have their solution with Harris starting over Morris though lost to Atlanta because Morris was injured and unable to play. It’s also very possible last year’s line up is the solution, though Detroit must play through adversity for now.
Time will tell and, hopefully, the Pistons can take a positive turn with a win Sunday night over a 10-24 Miami Heat team. Detroit will be banking on the Heat’s recent four game losing streak to propel them towards success as well as a strong Andre Drummond performance to contain Hassan Whiteside.
