Offseason additions, improvements in defense key to the Pistons’ early success

Sports
By Robbie Bachellor
Husky Herald Reporter

  Going into the season, there wasn't much expected for Detroit Basketball. Maybe they could sneak into the playoffs as the 7th or 8th seed, however the Pistons are shocking everyone in the NBA with their 5-1 start.

  The timing couldn't have been better for Detroit sports fans; the Lions got off to a terrible start, losing 6 out of the first 7 games. This almost guarantees that they will not make the playoffs.

  Fans are looking for a team to cheer for and the Pistons are just that. “It is cool that the Pistons are doing well because the Tigers were a disappointment and the Lions are too,” said Nick Dewey (‘16).

  The Pistons center, Andre Drummond, is making history. He joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players with three 20-point, 20 rebound games in the first 6 games. Kareem and Wilt are both hall of farmers and two of the best players in NBA history.

  “Andre is a beast,” said Abhishek Tekumulla (‘17). The great start to the season can't be credited to one man, but Drummond’s presence under the rim certainly plays a large roll.

  Third year shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is off to a solid start as well; his defensive skills are improving like his offense. “KCP is dope,” said Matt Corsetti (‘16).

  Head coach Stan Van Gundy was able to swing a few offseason moves in hope of replacing power forward Greg Monroe, who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. Small forward Marcus Morris was acquired in a  trade with Phoenix and power forward Ersan Ilyasova came to Detroit from a trade with the Bucks.

  Morris and Ilyasova have no doubt made an impact; both have started each game for the Pistons this year at their respective positions. “Morris looks pretty good. We needed another versatile scorer,” said Dewey.

  Rookie Stanley Johnson, who the Pistons took with the 8th pick of the 2015 NBA draft, has yet to have a breakout game, but offers a scoring threat from the bench. “Stanley definitely has potential to be a great player in the league,” said Corsetti.

  In the opening game of the season, Detroit defeated the Atlanta Hawks, one of the top teams from the Eastern Conference. This upset sparked the 5-1 start that got them ranked in the top 5 teams for the first time in around 10 years.