![]() While that obviously seems very unlikely, the Pistons don't have to be spectacular to get a better seed. Shockingly, the Pistons are only four games behind the Cavaliers for the No. The best-case scenario is that the Pistons are actually very good with Griffin, and climb the Eastern Conference ladder to a much better playoff seed. 8 seed in the East, which would probably result in a first-round exit against Boston or Toronto. If this happens, the Pistons could end up with the No. Perhaps the most likely scenario is that the Pistons settle into a middle ground - neither as bad as they were before the Griffin trade nor as good as they've been since. There's no way the Pistons can fall below the four worst teams in the conference, so in this scenario, Detroit would miss the playoffs and lose its first-round draft pick - which was traded in the Griffin deal.īlake Griffin celebrates a Pistons win over the Nets with Andre Drummond on Feb. The worst-case scenario for the Pistons would be that the initial burst of energy from the trade wears off, and the current winning streak gives way to another uninspiring month of basketball. ![]() 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, there are three ways the rest of the year can go. Though the Pistons are currently on a hot streak and sit in a tie for the No. Several others - such as Ish Smith, Reggie Bullock and Anthony Tolliver have flourished in increased roles. He's shooting 45.6 percent from the floor. In the last five games, Johnson is averaging 16 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He played the best game of his career before Griffin arrived, dropping 26 on the Cavaliers on 10-21 shooting. In nearly 200 games, Johnson is averaging 6.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 36.8 percent overall and 29.3 percent from beyond the arc.īut Johnson has been much better since the trade. Through the first 2 1/2 seasons of his career, Johnson hasn't given the Pistons much solid production. Much more shocking than the Drummond surge has been the contributions from Stanley Johnson. READ: Here's why the Detroit Pistons had to pull off the Blake Griffin trade He's also chipped in 18 assists, 13 blocks and 14 steals during the streak. He's converted on 58 percent of his free-throw attempts, and despite a 5-17 game against the Nets, he's shooting 64 percent from the field. Griffin is making a difference at the free throw line, too, converting 20 of 24 attempts.Īndre Drummond (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)ĭuring the five-game winning streak, Drummond is averaging more than 18 points and 20 rebounds per game. ![]() A tough shooting night against the Heat (6-19) dropped his overall shooting percentage, but he's still converting at a 42.3 percent clip from the floor. In four games with Detroit, Griffin is averaging 21.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. Griffin's performanceĭespite losing Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris - arguably their two best players - in the trade, the Pistons added someone much more dynamic than either of them. Since Griffin took the floor in a Pistons jersey, the team is 4-0 with impressive victories over the Heat and Trail Blazers - both current playoff teams. Whether or not the Griffin deal is a success will be determined over the course of the next four seasons, but there's no denying it's been an immediate breath of fresh air.īefore Griffin even joined his new teammates, they went out and stomped the same Cavaliers they had lost to over the weekend. ![]() TRADE NEWS: Pistons reportedly acquire forward James Ennis from Memphis JUST IN: Pistons reportedly trade Willie Reed to Chicago for point guard Jameer Nelson Tired of the monotonous, below-average results that left the Pistons battling toward mediocrity for the better part of the decade, Stan Van Gundy made a big splash, acquiring Blake Griffin from the Clippers. The team that had started the year 14-6 was gone, and at 22-26, the Pistons were fading farther away from a playoff spot.īut they flipped a switch on Jan. 28, getting blown out by 17 points at Cleveland, the season appeared to be over. When the Detroit Pistons suffered their eighth straight loss on Jan. DETROIT – It's amazing how much 10 days can change a basketball season that lasts six months.
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