If there’s a silver lining to the Detroit Pistons’ early shooting woes this season, it’s that it’s unlikely to get significantly worse.
The Pistons made just eight of 47 3-point attempts Tuesday in a 117-89 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. That 17% clip dropped them to 26.7% on the season — the NBA’s worst by a sizeable margin. (The Oklahoma City Thunder, at No. 26, are shooting 29.3%.)
SUIT UP: Detroit Pistons’ 2021-22 City Edition jersey features a hint of teal
WAITING FOR CADE: No. 1 pick debuts suggest growing pains for Cade Cunningham
SHAWN WINDSOR: Pistons’ Cunningham playing catch-up to NBA game, but breathes life into team
“I don’t know if it’s just nerves or uptight or whatever, when it comes to shooting,” coach Dwane Casey said after the loss. “That catapults into the energy level. When you’re not making shots, you start turning down shots, and it’s just a snowball effect. It’s something we can control, is our energy and our focus. Our confidence in our shooting. It’s something we’ve got to continue to work on and stick together and do it.”
Detroit’s struggle to make shots has been a moderate surprise. The Pistons were below average last season, ranking 22nd in the league in making 35.1% of their 3-pointers. They attempted to address it this offseason by using the bulk of their cap space to sign Kelly Olynyk and Trey Lyles — two proven shooters — and hiring former Michigan coach John Beilein to help young players improve.
So far, those efforts haven’t paid off. But there’s reason to believe the Pistons will improve.
Generating good looks hasn’t been a problem. Knocking them down has. Through seven games, the Pistons are 14th in the NBA in wide-open 3-point attempts per game, at 18 per game. They’re hitting those at a 32.4% clip, the fourth-lowest in the league.
There’s no easy explanation. Many of their best shooters simply haven’t hit them. Saddiq Bey, who shot 38% from 3-point range as a rookie last season — and was a strong shooter during his two seasons at Villanova — is hitting just 28.6% of those looks in 2021-22. Frank Jackson’s 3-point percentage has dipped from 40.7% to 17.2%. Olynyk has slumped from 34.2% to 28%, Grant from 35% to 31.3%, and Cory Joseph from 34.1% to 26.7%.
It could simply be an early slump. Though the Pistons may not improve as much as they hoped this season, it would be very unlucky for them to shot below 30% for an entire season. No NBA team has shot that poorly since the Charlotte Hornets knocked down 29.5% of their 3’s in 2011-12.
After Tuesday’s game, Casey said the team needs to keep its energy level high after missing a few shots.
“I just think the energy level, when you did see a shot go in, shoulders drop, heads drop, we just lost the confidence, and they work with coach Beilein every day with the shooting and all that stuff,” Casey said. “I’ve seen them make shots in practice but now we have to transfer that to the games. And you can’t let missed shots deflate you.”
T IS FOR TREY: Why Trey Lyles has an invaluable role with Pistons, on and off the court
Not everyone is struggling. Lyles is hitting 34.8% from beyond the arc after shooting 35% clip last season. And Killian Hayes has improved to 33.3% after shooting 27.8% as a rookie.
The Pistons could also see strides from Cade Cunningham — a 40% shooter in college who has missed all 14 of his NBA attempts thus far as he shakes off rust — and Isaiah Stewart, who has only taken five 3-pointers through seven games. Last season, Stewart increased his 3-point volume as the season progressed and became a respectable threat by the end.
“We’ve definitely had a rough start to the season so far,” Grant said Tuesday. “Got a lot of young guys on a new team. Still trying to figure it out together.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here’s how you can gain access to our most exclusive Pistons content. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.