How the Philadelphia 76ers stack up against the Central Division
By Quinn Davis
Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons Projected Starting Five:
- Reggie Jackson
- Luke Kennard
- Bruce Brown Jr.
- Blake Griffin
- Andre Drummond
- Other Notable Players — Derrick Rose, Langston Galloway, Sekou Doumbouya, Markieff Morris, Tony Snell
The Pistons bring back largely the same team as the one that nabbed the eighth seed in the East last season, and they are expected to yet again compete for a spot in the tournament. They did add Derrick Rose and Markieff Morris, who both add some much needed scoring punch to their bench.
The one-sided battles between Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond have been well-documented, and we can expect that to continue this season. Drummond is easily guarded by Embiid on one end due to his inability to play outside the paint, and the size advantage allows Embiid to bully him on the other. Blake Griffin killed the Sixers last year however, most notably in a Pistons’ overtime win where he scored 50 points.
Al Horford will be tasked with guarding Griffin, and he should provide more resistance than any Sixer was able to last season. The Pistons are lacking at the guard position, although adding Rose could bolster that unit if he plays like he did in the beginning of last season. The Sixers will have plenty of options to throw at those guards with Richardson, Simmons and Zhaire all capable defenders.
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The Pistons’ offense excelled at generating corner threes last season , finishing in the 87th percentile in that regard. The Sixers were one of the best teams in the league last year at preventing the corner three (92nd percentile), so if they continue to excel in that category they could shut down the Pistons best attribute on that end.
The Sixers offense should have no trouble penetrating the Pistons’ interior, as their guard rotation leaves a little to be desired defensively. The Pistons were in the 19th percentile for opponents’ shooting percentage at the rim, allowing teams to shoot 65.9 percent on those shots. The Sixers happened to shoot 65.8 percent at the rim last season, good for the 82nd percentile of the league, so their success around the basket should continue against this Pistons defense.
Outside of that Griffin explosion, the Sixers have had the Pistons number the last two seasons. With the addition of Al Horford the Sixers will be better equipped to handle Griffin, and I think that trend should continue this season. I see the Sixers potentially dropping one in the regular season, but winning the season series. If the teams meet in the playoffs, I predict the Sixers take that series in four or five.