The Detroit Pistons enter the 2015-16 season finally looking like a Stan Van Gundy team. Anchored by big man Andre Drummond and loaded with capable shooters, Van Gundy has finally managed to put his imprint on the roster after taking over as head coach and team president in March 2014. Now the question is just how good the Pistons will be.
Detroit Pistons 2015 roster: Stan Van Gundy finally has his team
It took over a year on the job but the Pistons finally look ready to play Van Gundy’s style of basketball.
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit didn’t shy away from an active offseason, turning over key parts of the roster in order to begin playing a more shooting-oriented style. The Pistons had struggled to find an identity under the old regime, often bringing in players who didn’t necessarily fit together.
Now Van Gundy seems to be making it a priority to space the floor around Drummond like we saw from his Orlando Magic teams with Dwight Howard. That makes Detroit intriguing, especially in an Eastern Conference that's fairly wide open entering the season.
Even if there’s only so much improvement to be made from last year’s 32-50 record, a breakout year by Drummond or Jackson could really stir things up. At the very least, the Pistons start the year with possibilities, something the 2014-15 team couldn’t really say after losing 23 of its first 28 games.
Even if Drummond’s not Howard in his prime, Van Gundy has shown that his style can work. Beginning this year, the Pistons are hoping to see the fruits of all this labor.
LAST YEAR
RECORD: 32-50 (12th in Eastern Conference)
PLAYOFFS: DID NOT QUALIFY
OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY: 102.3 (17th)
DEFENSIVE EFFICIENCY: 104.2 (21st)
ROSTER
No. | PLAYER | POS | HEIGHT | WEIGHT | AGE | COLLEGE |
| 0 | Andre Drummond | C | 6'11 | 279 | 22 | Connecticut |
| 1 | Reggie Jackson | PG | 6'3 | 208 | 25 | Boston College |
| 3 | Stanley Johnson | SF | 6'7 | 245 | 19 | Arizona |
| 5 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | SG | 6'5 | 205 | 22 | Georgia |
| 7 | Brandon Jennings | PG | 6'1 | 169 | 26 | |
| 8 | Spencer Dinwiddie | PG | 6'6 | 200 | 22 | Colorado |
| 12 | Aron Baynes | PF | 6'10 | 260 | 28 | Washington State |
| 13 | Marcus Morris | SF | 6'9 | 235 | 26 | Kansas |
| 20 | Jodie Meeks | SG | 6'4 | 210 | 28 | Kentucky |
| 22 | Steve Blake | PG | 6'3 | 172 | 35 | Maryland |
| 23 | Ersan Ilyasova | PF | 6'10 | 235 | 28 | |
| 25 | Reggie Bullock | SF | 6'7 | 205 | 24 | North Carolina |
| 33 | Danny Granger | SF | 6'9 | 222 | 32 | New Mexico |
| 43 | Anthony Tolliver | PF | 6'8 | 240 | 30 | Creighton |
| 50 | Joel Anthony | C | 6'9 | 245 | 33 | UNLV |
Coach: Stan Van Gundy
Assistant coaches: Brendan Malone, Bob Beyer, Charles Klask, Tim Hardaway, Malik Allen
OFFSEASON CHANGES
IN: Ersan Ilyasova, Marcus Morris, Stanley Johnson, Aron Baynes, Steve Blake, Reggie Bullock, Danny Granger
OUT: Greg Monroe, Caron Butler, Quincy Miller, Shawne Williams, John Lucas III, Tayshaun Prince
The Pistons started making their big changes during the 2014-15 season by cutting Josh Smith and trading for Reggie Jackson. The offseason then saw the team double down on Van Gundy's vision by signing Jackson to a big extension and adding several floor-spacing forwards.
DEPTH CHART
POINT GUARD | SHOOTING GUARD | SMALL FORWARD | POWER FORWARD | CENTER | |
STARTER | Reggie Jackson | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | Marcus Morris | Ersan Ilyasova | Andre Drummond |
RESERVE | Brandon Jennings | Jodie Meeks | Stanley Johnson | Aron Baynes | Joel Anthony |
RESERVE | Steve Blake | Reggie Bullock | Anthony Tolliver | ||
RESERVE | Spencer Dinwiddie | Danny Granger |
THE KEY QUESTION. Okay, how many wins for this team?
41. The preseason should never be a straight-up indication of anything, but it's clear the Pistons still have a bit of a ways to go. I'd liken my prediction to me sipping the punch that Hypnowheel spiked. Out-of-touch "experts" think the Pistons are undoubtedly bound for the lottery again and then there are smart fans who believe the Pistons could win up to 50 games (And what a time of year it is to believe your team can win 50 games!).
I fall more in between Vegas (33.5) and the more optimistic, not too far off from that site known for being pretty good at predicting things, so why not basketball things too (38). This is a straight up guess on my part, and I'm most confident I'll be wrong. No matter what, I do think that, yes, however many wins the Pistons have, it will be good enough for them to make the playoffs.
- Packey, Detroit Bad Boys. Read the full Pistons season preview here.
PREDICTIONS
BEST CASE: Drummond and Jackson prove to be a quality one-two punch, Van Gundy's floor-spacing schemes work and the Pistons get past the first round of the playoffs. Stanley Johnson wins Rookie of the Year, too, as Detroit establishes its core for the foreseeable future.
WORST CASE: Drummond and Jackson stagnate in their development, streaky shooting stifles the offense and the Pistons find themselves mired in mediocrity. The team finishes 10th in the East and doesn't even get the high lottery pick to add another top-level talent.
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