Tobias Harris leads the way for Pistons with 25
The Detroit Pistons have not won eight out of their last nine games after dispatching the Miami Heat 112-103. Most of the game was evenly matched, but it was the Pistons who dominated the final quarter in convincing fashion.
After improving to 10-3, Detroit is off to it’s best start since the 2005-2006 season that saw them being the year 15-3. Ironically, after tearing through the regular season to finish with a 64-18 record, that team would go on to lose to the Heat in the Conference Finals. While the ceiling for this team appears to me much lower, they still have the potential to mix things up in the Eastern Conference.
Before the season, Bleacher Report’s Alec Nathan predicted that the Pistons would end the year with a 37-45 record. However, the resilient group of overachievers have blown their preseason projections out of the water and now sit second in the East behind the Kyrie Irving led Boston Celtics.
It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly who deserves the praise for their rapid rise up the NBA totem pole. Andre Drummond is playing his usual stout defense, but his free-throw shooting has improved from historically embarrassing to surprisingly serviceable, and though players at his position rarely drastically build on their per game assist averages from one season to the next, that’s exactly what he’s done.
The acquisition of Avery Bradley over the offseason certainly brought much needed scoring and defense on the wing, but it’s been Detroit mainstay, Tobias Harris, who has made the most important strides. Following LASIK eye surgery in the offseason, Harris has looked like a new man.
The combo forward has always had the ability to put the ball in the basket, but it’s been his inefficiency and inconsistency that has hurt him find meaningful minutes while on the hardwood. This year, he’s leading the Pistons in scoring with 20.1 points per game while coming dangerously close to a 50-40-90 shooting split, an achievement that only seven other players in NBA history have reached.
Although it’s unlikely he’ll maintain those gaudy shooting numbers throughout his campaign, it’s clear that Harris has found his jump shot and found his game. Whether or not he can maintain his rhythm and carry a surging Detroit squad to the playoffs is yet to be determined. However, with all the upgrades across the Pistons organization, it’s safe to say that this season will make for a nice stepping stone on their way to creating a contender.
