Why are the Pistons so bad?

I know the typical excuses: they are young, the bench sucks, and injuries. Realistically, those could account for some of the poor record, but not all of it.

Defense

The Pistons' defense is abysmal. The lack of effort is ridiculous. The offense looks great. They should be able to win more games with this offense; however, they don't play any defense. It's strange because the team has some good individual defensive players, but the team lacks the rotations necessary to stop any team from scoring at will. I'm not worried about defensive statistics like steals or blocks because those can cover up for a team that gives up a lot of points.

The Pistons give up 118.9 points per game. A few blocks per game aren't going to fix the issue. The issue has to do with the scheme. Dwane Casey finally threw in the towel for the excessive switching after teams continually exposed their weaknesses. Now, the rotations are slow, and the team is overconcerned with pushing the ball into transition, frequently leading to easy baskets and quick turnovers.

Rebounding is part of the defensive woes. Aside from Jalen Duren, who is having an excellent rookie season, the Pistons lack strong rebounders. The team must emphasize rebounding, even if it costs a few transition opportunities per game. I know fans are concerned about scoring, but it doesn't matter as much as the defensive issues. The Pistons frequently allow opponents to score upwards of 120-130 points a game. That is a recipe for losses. It's unrealistic to expect any team to keep that pace. If the Pistons could give up only 115 per game, I think the win-loss column would alter drastically and dramatically.

Coaching

I've stood in Dwane Casey's corner for a while, giving him the benefit of the doubt; however, I've now concluded that he isn't the right fit for this team. The Pistons are in year three of the rebuild and look worse than ever. This year's team is the most talented Dwane Casey has coached in Detroit. He led one team to the playoffs, but let's ask a few quick questions:

1. Cade Cunningham or Reggie Jackson?

2. Jaden Ivey or Luke Kennard?

3. Bojan Bogdanovic or Wayne Ellington?

I'm sure some of you would take Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond over Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren, but I'm not so sure. Of course, hindsight is 20/20. That team didn't have much depth, either. So, why were they able to limp into the playoffs? Because Dwane Casey knows how to coach veterans. I know he came to Detroit with a reputation for talent development, but he always coached a veteran-heavy team. He developed the talent alongside a solid core. Frankly, I'm not sure it wasn't his assistants doing the work based on what I've seen.

Furthermore, I think there is a solid divide between Dwane Casey players and Troy Weaver players. There is only one Dwane Casey player left: Cory Joseph. He fits Casey's playing style. Everyone else seems to fit the Weaver mold: tough, gritty, grind-it-out athletes.

The Pistons may face a similar situation to the Lions a few years ago. The Lions' former general manager, Bob Quinn, got an opportunity to hire his own coach, Matt Patricia. Of course, that was an abysmal failure. However, I think it may be time for Weaver to receive the same opportunity.

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