The Fan Hub

The Detroit Pistons sit in the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Yet neither Lawrence Frank nor their defense have been the reason why. The Pistons rank in the middle of the league in points allowed at 94.6, and their team defensive rotations are crisper and much more effective this season compared to last year.

While Detroit has never really had a Phoenix like offensive culture — dating back to the “Bad Boy” days of the late 80’s-early 90’s — they have in years past been able to score with more viscosity than the 2012 Pistons. The Pistons currently rank 29th in the NBA averaging only 85.6 points per game, and Greg Monroe seems to be their only consistent offensive threat. Monroe, 22, ranks fifth in FG%, is third best center in the game in AST with 2.9 per contest, and is 26th in the league with an average of 17.2 PPG. Aside from that, the Pistons next highest scorer is Ben Gordon with 14.1 PPG. In an effort try and spread what little of their offensive wealth, Rodney Stuckey has been moved to the sixth man role in an effort to try and jump start the second unit.

The fifth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Brandon Knight, will be moved into the starting lineup to complement Ben Gordon at shooting guard. Knight, who has certainly shown some bright spots thus far this season, just hasn’t been that efficient nor consistent enough to be the focal point of the second unit; his PER of 11.50 ranks 22nd among qualified rookies, and his USG rates 12th.

Stuckey, while certainly not the most effective shooter, is good attacking the basket and creating his own shot, something the Pistons second unit sorely lacks. Detroit had hopes of pairing both Stuckey and Knight together, but in 95 minutes played to date, that combination has only yielded a plus/minus of -1. Time will tell if this minor roster tinkering will help, however at this point Detroit needs to try anything to generate a spark offensively.