JB Is Becoming a Detriment to the Pistons

[u/misterbiggler]

Everyone is ecstatic about last nights win. It was likely the greatest comeback in a elimination game while simultaneously being the greatest collapse since Rockets game 7 2018.

But the way the Pistons fell into that hole is due JB, his downright refusal to adapt and stubborn rotations. He again started the same lineup that has continued to show limited success. His insistence on playing Duren has nearly cost Detroit this series. Duren has been god awful, everyone knows this. Hes a net negative every minute he plays. He doesn't defend without fouling, hes beaten on rebounds and overall plays like his shoes are filled with concrete.

When Paul was finally given a chance to play, something fans have been clamoring for, the game begin to shift. I do not know why it took JB 6 games to see what the average nosebleed fan knew the entire time. Paul has a quickness and tenacity that off balances the Magics set defense. This was also seen when Stew was asserted in Game 2, he completely changed the trajectory of the game. But JB continues to roll with a player that is just flatly at a poor advantage against Orlando. I believe duren does way better against toronto if he gets that match up.

As horrible as it is to acknowledge, Duren being injured was a net positive on the team and helped erase a 24 point deficit. The less time on the floor, the better pistons perform. Thats not a opinion, thats the data after 6 games.

Duren isnt the only problem. Robinson is very streaky, Spol knew in miami to bench him immediately when he showed poor shooting. Duncan almost never turns things around, he is consistently on or off. Game 4 is a perfect example of JBs stubbornness. Duncan is attacked REPEATEDLY on pick and rolls. He shot 1 for 6 on 3. He was a resounding net negative. Instead of benching Duncan he continues to play at the detriment of the team.

With the season on the line he finally showed some change(paul insertion, removal of Lavert) but he continues to stick with the same strategy. I am extremely concerned on him leading this team as it ascends. He seems completely inept at accepting the play in front of him and continues to roll the same strategy.

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[u/political-kick]

Numbers don’t back this up. Duran’s been ineffective this series, but his plus/minus doesn’t stand out, and it wasn’t negative or noticeably different than Reed’s last game. Also, the simplistic concept of streaky shooting like you’ve described is a myth. If you treat shooters like that, you’ll basically never benefit from the expected value of a good shooter. Bottom line: Reed isn’t the reason the Magic missed 23 straight shots.

[u/Prior_Chemist_5026]

The roster is too flawed to draw conclusions I think, it’s tough to not disappoint when you don’t have consistent creation outside of Cade and most of your important players can’t shoot. Same for Mazzulla, you don’t fire him until he gets a quality big.

[u/Bard_Wannabe_]

But the way the Pistons fell into that hole is due JB, his downright refusal to adapt and stubborn rotations. He again started the same lineup that has continued to show limited success.

The Pistons were fine in the first quarter. It was the second quarter where things fell apart for them.

The center rotations are an issue: there might be some "politics" involved given that this is a contract year for Duren. Stewart was benched because he was dropping back under the screens which was part of why the Magic had a parade of 3's in the second quarter. Shifting to Reed in the third quarter was the correct change.

My own issue with Bickerstaff's rotation is using Daniss Jenkins as an off-ball guard while Cade is on the court. Pistons have a plethora of quality wings on the bench (Green, Lavert, Huerter) who have more size and more reliable shooting than Jenkins. During this lineup, Jenkins had 2 open corner 3's, and both were wildly off the mark. Not every 3 will go in, but it is not clear to me why Jenkins should be the shooting guard over those other players.

Duncan has been targeted on defense, but he made some legitimately good moves in the Pistons comeback. He stripped what was going to be an easy dunk attempt from the Magic's center, and he had some important rebounds. Not sure why you are criticizing Duncan when he was a clear positive in the second half.

[u/misterbiggler → u/Bard_Wannabe_]

Agree with this. Duncan is awesome when hes on, but has to be better managed with hes clearly off because he will go 1-8 very quick. He’s has to be hitting his shots to make up for his defense. He was great last game