Written by ryanweinkauf at The Lottery Mafia
If the playoffs started today, the Detroit Pistons would have the #1 seed in the East, and the Minnesota Timberwolves would have the #2 seed in the West.
But unfortunately for those two teams, and fortunately for us basketball fans, there is a lot of time left in this NBA season. However, these two reigning lottery teams, along with a couple others, have shown early signs of being able to leave the NBA dwellers and take the next step to the playoffs.
The Pistons have come out of the gates hot this year, jumping to a quick 3-0 record. And their opponents have certainly not been slouches either, topping the Hawks, Jazz, and Bulls. The biggest key to their early success is the explosiveness of the starting lineup. Cornerstones Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond have been stellar, but the biggest surprise has been the emergence of Marcus Morris, who was traded to Detroit in the offseason. Morris leads the team in scoring, averaging 19.3 PPG, while shooting an unheard of 57% from three. Small sample size that it is, Morris and forward partner Ersan Ilyasova, also acquired this offseason, provide the spacing that Andre Drummond needs to thrive, and boy is he ever. Drummond has been a monster down low, averaging 18.7 points, 16.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and has a very impressive 24.0 PER. Probably everyone but Joe Dumars saw that the combo of Drummond, Greg Monroe, Josh Smith didn’t work, and the shooters that Van Gundy has replaced Monroe and Smith with have changed the way the Pistons score for the better. And Reggie Jackson is still not shooting efficiently, but his ability to score, move the ball, and rebound from the guard position has the Detroit Pistons setting their eyes on the playoffs this year.
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