The Pistons Are a Deeper Team Now
Having a good bench lineup is becoming almost as important as a good starting lineup in the modern NBA. The bench unit is an area the Pistons have really struggled the last few seasons. There are various reasons for that, but the bench unit needs to improve if the Pistons want to make the playoffs.
Pistons fans have mixed opinions on Jon Leuer. He is a solid backup big but is definitely overpaid at this point. He also fell off a cliff regarding his play during the 2015-2016 season, the last time he was healthy. In the first half of the season, Leuer averaged 11.2 points and 5.7 rebounds on 51.2 percent shooting from the field and 32.5 percent shooting from 3 point range.
After the All-Star Break, Leuer averaged 8.2 points and 4.7 rebounds on 40.9 percent shooting from the field and 20.5 percent shooting from 3 point range. Leuer got injured eight games into last season, and the team missed him as they were using him as the backup center and it forced Eric Moreland into a more prominent role. Leuer will be back and fully healthy this year and that will be a huge help to the Pistons’ bench as long he can come close what he did in the first half of 2016-2017.
Another issue for the Pistons last season was the emergency 3rd point guard in case of injury to Reggie Jackson. They signed Langston Galloway to a 3 year, $21 million deal on the first day of free agency in 2017 to be the emergency 3rd point guard and backup shooting guard.
However, Stan Van Gundy never trusted Galloway to be the backup point guard once Reggie Jackson went down with his sprained ankle on December 24. It forced the Pistons to use 2-way player Dwight Buycks and to make a deal for Jameer Nelson to try and get some stability at point guard behind Ish Smith. Dwight Buycks performed admirably scoring the ball but was not great at running an offense. Jameer Nelson provided very little in the few games that he played.
The Pistons needed somebody who could be a bit more reliable at running an offense, and that is why they signed Jose Calderon in the offseason. It is not a flashy signing by any means, but Calderon has been around and is capable of running an offense and shooting. He could play off the ball a bit and play with Blake Griffin if Reggie Jackson goes down and the Pistons run the offense through Griffin.
He did it with LeBron James last season in Cleveland and will be more effective in that kind of a role than Ish Smith would be. Calderon could be moved into Reggie Jackson’s role with the starters if he goes down and Ish Smith could remain on the bench and run the offense where he is most effective. Calderon should be a bit more reliable if things fall apart and Reggie Jackson is once again hurt.
The Pistons also added Zaza Pachulia, another veteran who has been around and has a few reliable skills like defense and setting screens. He probably won’t get many minutes with the Pistons expected to give a lot of minutes to Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond as well as Jon Leuer and possibly Henry Ellenson. However, if he does have to play, he should be more reliable than Eric Moreland and less situational than Boban Marjanovic was before being traded.
Another bonus to adding Calderon and Pachulia is the veteran leadership they will bring, which the Pistons lost with the departure of Anthony Tolliver.
On top of these new additions, they will still have the very reliable backup point guard Ish Smith, as well as the choice of Luke Kennard, Reggie Bullock, Stanley Johnson, and Glenn Robinson III on the wings depending on who starts.
All of this combined means the Pistons will have more depth and a more reliable bench which will be very helpful for them making the playoffs and overcoming the various injuries, illnesses, and poor shooting nights that happen throughout the season.
