Under the Hood: Need more shooters

Under the Hood – it’s time to see what’s really going on inside this Pistons team.

Firing on All Cylinders

While there wasn’t a lot to appreciate in this one, I at least enjoy this set JB Bickerstaff has used frequently.

Advertisement

Jalen Duren acts like he’s going to set a screen for Cade Cunningham, but actually sets an off-ball screen for Duncan Robinson instead.

Option 1 – Duncan shoots the three

Option 2 – Duncan hits Duren on the roll

Option 3 – Duren attacks

Option 4 – Duren drops it to Ausar in the dunker spot or hits Tobias in the corner

Here’s that set being ran by Duren:

View Link

Here’s a pretty similar set being ran by Stew, but this time Duncan’s gravity around the screen leaves Stew open on the slip to get an open dunk:

View Link

Transmission Trouble

When I say this team needs more shooters, I don’t just mean they need players with a high 30s three-point percentage. They also need players who prioritize scoring from the three-point line – guys who WANT to take most of their shots from deep.

Advertisement

For example, last season, Malik Beasley took 13.1 FGA per game, but 9.3 of those came from the three-point line – that means 71% of his attempts were three-point shots. For comparison, Duncan Robinson is at 78% this season (7.2/9.2). Here’s how it looks for the entire rotation, ranked by minutes played:

After Duncan, this team’s next “shooter” would be… Javonte Green? Jaden Ivey?

The reason I’m bringing this up is because it’s clear Phoenix has shooters on their team. There are multiple players whose main focus is spreading the floor and taking majority of their shots from deep. Detroit doesn’t have enough of those kinds of players.

Collin Gillespie and Grayson Allen combined to attempt 23 three-pointers last night and they made nine of them – three more made than Detroit’s entire team.

Advertisement

I’ve brought up before how I believe some players on the team don’t always focus on spacing the floor, especially in transition – just the other day against the Kings, I used this possession to highlight how Tobias should’ve filled in the corner instead of…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/under-hood-more-shooters-140344203.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-01-30 14:03:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.