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Detroit
Pistons' point guard Brandon Jennings made his season debut on Sunday
against the Boston Celtics. With the Pistons' star core healthy for
the first time this season, they will attempt to lead the Pistons to
the playoffs.
The
Pistons have been terrible since they last made the playoffs,
2008-2009 season.
They
have had only one season since 2008-2009 where they won 30 games in a
season, 2010-2011. Also, Pistons' head coach Maurice Cheeks is their
third head coach since 2008-2009; the other two were John Kuester and
Lawrance Frank.
Pistons'
fans had little optimism for their team to improve in the 2013-2014
season, until their beloved team had a great off-season. In the 2013
off-season, the Pistons signed free agent small forward Josh Smith,
played for the Atlanta Hawks and made a trade with the Milwaukee
Bucks to acquire Jennings.
Both
of these players with centers Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond form a
star core for the Pistons. The Pistons had a record of 1-1 while
Jennings was recovering from an impacted wisdom tooth and a hairline
fracture in his jaw at the base of the tooth, according to Vincent
Goodwill's twitter handle.
At
4:34 p.m. on Sunday, Vincent Goodwill tweeted that Jennings would
make his season debut, coming off the bench, against the Celtics.
Jennings made an immediate impact in the game, highlighted
by his fake pass while driving for a layup.
Jennings
finished the game 14 points, five field goals made out of 12
attempts, four steals, four assists, three rebounds, and two
turnovers in 31 minutes. The Pistons defeated the Celtics 87 to 77.
On
paper, the Pistons appear to have a playoff caliber team in the
Eastern Conference. The Eastern Conference teams that were seeded
five through eight last year had records that were worse than their
counterparts in the Western Conference.
Jennings
is a dynamic point guard; whether it is draining jump shots or
dishing assists to his teammates. He will be the team's starting
point guard when his wisdom teeth and jaw no longer bother him; which
would end his restriction of eating soft foods-according to
Rotoworld.
Smith
is a very good post player. He has the size and strength to dominate
in the post; whether it is through backing down his opponent or
making jump shots on offense or swatting shots and grabbing rebounds
on defense.
Monroe
is similar to Smith offensively except that Smith has a much better
jump shot. Luckily for Monroe, he has Smith and Drummond to help him
out if he cannot guard his man.
Drummond
has the potential to be a great post player. His size and strength
makes opposing players cautious about trying to score on him because
he can easily block their shots.
Beside
the great starting lineup they have, featuring the star core, they
also have a good bench. Their notable players, are veteran point
guard Chauncey Billups, shooting guard Rodney Stuckey, small forward
Kyle Singler.
Billups
is key to a playoff run for this team because he has had great
success in the playoffs.
He
is the only player left on the Pistons' roster from their 2003-2004
NBA Finals Champion team. That was the highlight of a six-year
stretch, 2002-2003 to 2007-2008, when the Pistons made it to at least
the Eastern Conference Finals every year.
The
Pistons play in a tough division with the Indiana Pacers and Chicago
Bulls. The Cleveland Cavaliers are also a good team, they defeated
the Brooklyn Nets 98 to 94 on Wednesday.
The
Pistons have a 2-1 record and they have the third-best record in the
Eastern Conference; entering Monday's games. They have an upcoming
four-game stretch where they face three teams that are expected to
make the playoffs.
They
play the Pacers on Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, and
the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 12. If the Pistons are able to win
at least two of those games, it would convince many NBA fans and
experts to believe that they will make the playoffs.
can't wait to see if they ca efficiently space the floor with all the new pieces.
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