Stan Van Gundy wants Pistons to play faster

The Detroit Pistons played an average of 94.9 possessions per game last season, good for 11th in the league, but new head coach Stan Van Gundy isn't satisfied.

"The way he has us going up and down, he wants us to be a fast-paced team," Pistons center Andre Drummond told the Detroit Free Press. Drummond said Van Gundy's practices have been the hardest he's ever had to endure in his life.

"I go home and I don't even say nothing to my mom. I just sit down and want to go to sleep."

Fast-paced play is a change in style for Van Gundy, who only ran a top-10 paced team once over his five seasons in Orlando. In his final season there, the Magic were the second-slowest team in the entire league.

The Pistons do have the personnel to run a transition-oriented offense, especially with their frontcourt. Drummond and power forward Josh Smith are both fast runners for their respective positions, and more leak outs could translate into more easy baskets.

But before they run, the Pistons have some hard work ahead of them. As Drummond joked, "There's one thing I can tell: We'll probably be the best conditioned team in the NBA."