Stan Van Gundy Thinks Pistons Have Great Depth
The Detroit Pistons as of late have lacked the intangibles and the personnel to be competitive again. Last season was largely transitional – they changed head coaches and Joe Dumars thereafter. Some might say it was still an underachieving season after Detroit landed free agents Brandon Jennings and an expensive Josh Smith, but structure is what this group continued to lack.
New Pistons president and head coach Stan Van Gundy is looking to change that, as he told NBA.com:
From Spencer Dinwiddie to the five free agents we signed, I don’t think anybody questions the character of any of those guys. That was the No. 1 priority.
Van Gundy spent time harping on character in the interview, along with two other factors that were severely lacking for Detroit on the floor last season: shooting and depth,
Shooting was a problem last year. Now, I think you could say of our perimeter players, if you had to look at them as a group and ask what the strength was, they can really shoot the ball.
Those players Van Gundy is referencing are the Pistons’ signings Jodie Meeks, Caron Butler and D.J. Augustin this summer, all of whom are highly capable perimeter shooters. These are subtle upgrades for Van Gundy’s roster, which for the time being is still cored by the sizable front court of Josh Smith, Greg Monroe, and Andre Drummond. Van Gundy thinks his group can show great depth if healthy,
We don’t have a guy who has been an all-NBA guy or a recent All-Star. But right through the roster, everybody’s pretty good. We don’t have a major hole. Our depth, regardless of who starts – and I think it will be a very competitive camp – and however the second unit lines up, I think it will be one of the best second units in the league. There’s a balance, there’s a depth. We can survive injuries. I think we go even more than two deep across the board.
The San Antonio Spurs upped the stock on having depth in the 2014 NBA Finals. GM’s and coaches want their 10-man roster of reliable players. Van Gundy is a good system, structure, and discipline coach. The Pistons have talent on their roster, but what they’ve been lacking in personnel and character is hoped to be relieved by new additions and new leadership.
