Series Keys - Triple Threat

Sounds simplistic, but the Pistons are a much more dangerous team when they’re making their 3-point shots at a higher rate than the league average. They did so after the All-Star break, when they shot .360 from distance – ahead of the league average of .354. For the season, the Pistons finished 21st in 3-point shooting, .345, mostly because they began the season languishing at or very near the bottom of the rankings. The Pistons shot just .337 from the 3-point line before the All-Star break. They finished 17-9 over the final 26 games after Tobias Harris moved into the starting lineup. Though Harris replaced a superior 3-point shooter, Ersan Ilyasova, his addition gave the Pistons greater versatility on offense and that facilitated better ball movement – other than the actual completion of the shot itself, the most important thing a team can do to produce a higher quality of 3-point shots. If the four perimeter starters who surround Andre Drummond – Harris, Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – can combine to hit the league average from the 3-point arc for the series, the chances of it lasting closer to the maximum of seven games, not to mention the chances of the Pistons actually winning, go up dramatically.