Flip-ing Off The Offense

With all the talk about the Pistons’ inconsistent defense, the real problem has been the offense. In the previous three seasons, the Pistons placed somewhere between fourth and seventh in the NBA in both offensive efficiency* and defensive efficiency* every season. While that shows remarkable consistency, it also proves that the Pistons’ performance did not mesh with their reputation as an all-defense, some-offense outfit. Instead, the Pistons were a remarkably balanced team that excelled on both sides of the ball.

This season, the balance is gone. When the Pistons traded Chauncey Billups – a strong defender – for notoriously poor defender Allen Iverson, slippage on defense was to be expected. Not surprisingly, the Pistons have fallen to 11th in defensive efficiency this season.

The roster moves do not, however, fully explain the deterioration of the teams’ offense. The Pistons began this season with last season’s rotation mostly intact – save for the Billups/Iverson swap and the loss of Jarvis Hayes. Iverson is one of the most prolific scorers of all time, while Hayes is a streak shooter who can do little else, so it would have been reasonable to expect the Pistons to replicate last season’s results offensively.

The Pistons have not, however, come anywhere close to matching last season’s performance offensively. After three straight seasons with a top-six offense, the Pistons have fallen to 21st in offensive efficiency. The Pistons lead only Charlotte and Memphis in points per game, but that is, in part, a product of the team’s relatively slow pace. The fact that the Pistons are in the bottom third of NBA teams in offensive efficiency requires no such qualifiers; the Pistons have been a poor offensive team this season.

In spite of their reputations, Billups is actually a much better offensive player than Iverson. That swap explains some of the offensive problems, but the disparity between the players is not nearly large enough to explain the difference between an elite offensive team and a below average one. Since the personnel do not fully explain the plunge in offense, the likely culprit seems to be the coach.

Michael Curry simply has not done enough to put his players in a position to succeed. The ball movement, player movement, and spacing that were so prevalent under Flip Saunders have all diminished enormously. The Pistons have lost more than two assists per game off of their average from last season. Players like RIP Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince have had to find much more off of their offense through isolations, compared to previous seasons when they relied more heavily on screens and off the ball movement. Last season, 53% off Prince’s baskets were assisted. This season, that number has plummeted to 36%.

Flip Saunders had many faults as a coach; he struggled to connect with his players, players such as Rasheed Wallace often ignored his instructions down the stretch of close games, and his playoff record leaves something to be desired. With that said, Saunders’ playbook and ability to make in-game adjustments offensively were exceptional. Saunders is one of the best in the world at constructing offensive schemes.

Saunders was proficient at hiding limited offensive players like Ben Wallace, Amir Johnson, and Dale Davis. They would set picks, occasionally go backdoor for a dunk, and remain in position to fight for offensive rebounds, all while staying out of the way of their more skilled teammates. This season, Johnson, Kwame Brown, and to a lesser extent Jason Maxiell, seem to simply clog the paint on offense. They tend to drift near the basket without apparent purpose. While part of this can be pinned on the players, Curry deserves much of the blame.

With all of the talk about Curry’s starting lineups and rotations, his inability to mold a first rate offense out of so many talented parts has been his biggest failing. Curry is in his first season as coach so there is plenty of room for Curry to develop. In the meantime, Piston fans should appreciate what they had in Flip Saunders and hope that Curry either learns how to implement a productive offense or is replaced by someone who can.

(H/T to BasketballReference.com and 82games.com for stats. Also, Kelly Dwyer was ahead of the curve with this one.)

*Offensive Efficiency is a measure of points scored per possession, while defensive efficiency measures points allowed per possession. The efficiency statistics take pace into account, while per game numbers do not.