No More Steve Blake
The Detroit Pistons came into the off season needing help at the Point Guard position. General Manager and Head Coach Stan Van Gundy solved that problem by signing Ish Smith at the beginning of the free agency period. Smith who played for both Philadelphia and New Orleans last season, averaged 12.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists a game. Smith earned a 3 year $18 million dollar contract with the Pistons and will provide a quality backup to starter Reggie Jackson. One of the biggest advantages of having Smith on the team is his ability to run the pick and roll, which should lead to plenty of opportunities for Andre' Drummond to get easy baskets at the rim. This was a great signing because as Pistons fans like myself watched last season, the team would have a big lead when last year's backup Point Guard Steve Blake was put into game and the lead disappeared.
I know Pistons fans are glad that they don’t have to watch Steve Blake coming off the bench this upcoming season. Last year, Blake averaged 4.4 points a game, while shooting 38% from the floor. What made his struggles even worse for the Pistons was the fact that he had problems on defense. All year, Blake had a hard time staying in front of his man, which allowed opposing team Point Guards to do what they wanted to on offense. Teams averaged 31.9 points per game from their bench, I know Blake doesn’t play all 5 positions, but he didn’t help the number either. The problem was further exposed by the Cavaliers in the playoffs as well.
Hopefully that Smith will keep improving on that end of the floor and if he does the Pistons would have a solid 1-2 punch at the Point Guard position. I love the moves that Van Gundy has made this summer and this proves that they are making positive strides in the right direction as they move forward.
One thing I could guarantee is that the Pistons wont have the worst bench in the league again!
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