Position to Succeed

I'm just focused on the 12 guys we have in uniform, trying to put them in a position to be successful out on the court and to win games.
–Michael Curry, via the Detroit Free Press

This a great point by Curry. It is a coach’s responsibility to put his players in a “position to be successful out on the court.” Is Curry practicing what he preaches? Which of the Pistons are in a better position with a small ball starting lineup of Stuckey, Iverson, Hamilton, Prince, and Wallace? Which would be better off if a traditional lineup of Stuckey, Hamilton, Prince, Johnson, and Wallace were to start games?

Rodney Stuckey: According to PER, Stuckey has been the Piston’s best offensive player this season. Among the Piston’s top-6 scorers, Stuckey is first in true shooting percentage. He is also the team’s best passer, so the more he has the ball in his hands, the better. Unfortunately, Iverson, Hamilton, Prince, and Wallace are all also scorers. When Stuckey plays alongside those four, he must focus on distributing instead of attacking. Stuckey averaged just 12.6 field goal attempts per game in the 12 games he started in a small ball lineup, compared to 15.4 shots a game when he started as part of a traditional lineup. Defensively, small ball hurts Stuckey. He is one of the better defensive point guards in the NBA, but alongside Iverson and Hamilton, he is often asked to defend shooting guards and small forwards. Stuckey has done well out of position defensively, but he is better-suited to defend point guards.

Edge: Traditional Lineup.

RIP Hamilton: Defensively, this is no contest. Hamilton has no chance against many small forwards. Danny Granger and Kevin Durant, among others, have absolutely killed Hamilton. Hamilton is OK at defending shooting guards, but he has no chance against bigger forwards. Offensively, pairing Hamilton with Iverson is a simply a poor fit. Hamilton’s offense relies on ball movement, execution, and off-ball screens. Iverson is too small to set a pick and his game is predicated on dribbling and freelancing. Their games mix about as well as oil and water.

Edge: Traditional Lineup.

Tayshaun Prince: This is a full article where Prince explains that it is extremely grueling for him to deal with the physicality associated with playing power forward. Prince is not big enough to defend most opposing big men. Offensively, like Stuckey, Prince is one of the team’s best offensive players, but he is likewise the most likely to defer when he is on the court with four teammates who are also strong scorers. Prince has averaged 11.3 points per game when he starts at power forward and 16.0 points per game when he starts at small forward.

Edge: Traditional Lineup.

Rasheed Wallace: Wallace is much better defensively when he has a second big man on the floor. He is unable to defend the pick and roll the way he would like to when he does not have a second big man behind him to protect the paint and rebound. Offensively, Wallace spends most of the game spotting up for three-pointers regardless of who else is on the court.

Edge: Traditional Lineup.

Allen Iverson: Iverson is a low efficiency offensive player who is adept at creating shots, even though he has converted those shots at a low percentage this season. When he is taking shots away from Stuckey, Hamilton, Prince, and Wallace, he is hurting the Piston’s offense. When he plays alongside Afflalo, Maxiell, and McDyess, those players struggle to create their own shots and could benefit from the open looks Iverson can create. Defensively, Iverson will always be a disaster, but his impact might be less drastic if he is trying to defend backups.

Edge: Traditional Lineup.

Amir Johnson: Johnson is not much of an offensive player, but he is a strong defender and rebounder. In the starting lineup, the Pistons have enough offense that they could compensate for Johnson’s deficiencies in the same way that they played around Ben Wallace. Coming off the bench, it is hard to play Johnson alongside players like Afflalo and Maxiell, who also are best-suited to impact a game without the ball in their hands. Johnson also is excellent at attacking the offensive glass. Without Johnson, the Piston’s starting lineup is one of the worst offensive rebounding lineups in basketball.

Edge: Traditional Lineup.

Jason Maxiell/Kwame Brown: When the Pistons start Prince at power forward, it is difficult for Curry to find minutes for Maxiell and Brown. Both players have been racking up healthy DNPs lately. There would be minutes for at least one of the two in almost every game if the Pistons revert to a traditional lineup.

Edge: Traditional Lineup.

Antonio McDyess: Regardless of who starts, McDyess is usually on the court for 20-25 minutes per game and the Pistons rarely use a small ball lineup when McDyess is on the court.

Edge: Neutral

Arron Afflalo: Regardless of who starts, Afflalo usually does not enter the game until the Pistons have gone to a big lineup. Afflalo’s minutes may dip if the Pistons bring another shooting guard off the bench, but either way Afflalo should be part of a five man rotation for three spots on the perimeter, so there should be plenty of available minutes.

Edge: Small Ball

Will Bynum/Walter Herrmann/Alex Acker/Walter Sharpe: Regardless of who starts, none of these players has played well enough to earn regular minutes.

Edge: Neutral

Summary: The only Piston who even remotely benefits from small ball is Arron Afflalo. Even that is based on the possibility that his minutes would decrease if the Pistons revert to a traditional lineup. Of the ten Pistons in the rotation, eight would benefit if Michael Curry chooses a traditional lineup. If Curry meant what he said about putting his players in a position to succeed, he needs to start a traditional lineup.