Pistons vs Nets preview: Pistons begin four game road trip in Brooklyn

The Pistons’ laundry list of missed opportunities for wins this season is a mile long, but none stand out more than the 109-101 loss to Brooklyn way back in early November.

Andre Drummond scored six points (while Brook Lopez netted 34) and was largely ineffective; Stan Van Gundy didn’t mince words after the game. “We gave him the first half and the first seven minutes in the second half and he was just, in my opinion, bringing absolutely nothing to the game.”

Someone double check - is “bringing absolutely nothing to the game” on the job description of a franchise player?

Game Vitals

When: March 21st at 7:30 p.m. EST

Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY

Watch: Fox Sports Detroit+

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Analysis

The Pistons have been plain awful to begin games as of late, and until there is a permanent solution to their abysmal post tip-off play, it’s going to be a permanent talking point.

Cliches run rampant in addressing the situation. Words like “effort” and “focus” are easily tossed around, and it’s concerning that buzzwords could be the answer.

Against an opponent of Brooklyn’s quality, do the first quarter blues continue?

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After being inactive for the first month of the season, Nets’ small forward Caris LeVert (of University of Michigan fame) has been logging meaningful minutes and also has seen his production increase as the season progresses.

It’s hard to determine just how good LeVert is, because the Nets are so bad, but there is evidence of solid NBA rotational play:

That turnaround is straight out of the mophatt1 bag of tricks. Feel free to keep using it though, Caris.

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A three-game stretch of Cleveland, Utah and Toronto saw Andre Drummond collect 22 total points on 11-of-26 shooting.

Um, what?

Dre loves to put the ball on the floor, which usually ends up bad for himself, the Pistons and most importantly, the DBB community:

But he will sometimes gets bailed out:

My mom always told me, “Mophatt1, nothing good happens after midnight or after three dribbles”.

Drummond - if he must post up - should adhere to the latter. Dre has to position himself closer to the basket, where one or two power dribbles is all that’s required.

Of course, if he just doesn’t post up and crushes Brooklyn as the roll man, that wouldn’t be so bad, either.

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Projected Lineups

Detroit

Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Andre Drummond, Marcus Morris, Tobias Harris

Brooklyn

Spencer Dinwiddie, Randy Foye, Brook Lopez, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Caris LeVert

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Prediction

All they got to do is win, and I think they do.

Pistons 104, Nets 98