Pistons thriving since release of Smith, return of Meeks
There is addition by subtraction, and then there is what's happened to the Detroit Pistons since they waived Josh Smith on Dec. 22.
The Pistons were 5-23 at the time of Smith's release, a move that will cost the team roughly $36 million in real money and $5.4 million in cap space through 2019-20. Unable to find a suitable trade fit for Smith, new team president and head coach Stan Van Gundy rolled the dice on eating Smith's salary through the stretch provision, a risky move that spoke to the power Van Gundy has within the organization.
The early returns are encouraging, as the Pistons have reeled off four straight wins using a style that much more closely resembles a Van Gundy offense. They've faced an easy stretch save for a 23-point win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they've been by far the league's best team by point differential since removing Smith.
As much as the actual managerial decision to lose Smith for no return with a long-term cap hit can be questioned, the Pistons improving without him isn't all that surprising. All season, the Pistons were better off without him, a fact that's been magnified in this latest, admittedly minuscule, sample.
| Pistons | O-Rtg | D-Rtg | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to Dec. 21 | 97.6 | 105.8 | -8.2 |
| since Dec. 22 | 114.5 | 91.3 | 23.2 |
| Smith on floor | 94.6 | 106.2 | -11.6 |
| Smith off floor | 103.6 | 104.9 | -1.3 |
Even though the Houston Rockets have struggled some since adding Smith, particularly since inserting him to the starting lineup, it would be unfair to hang the Pistons' surge entirely on his absence.
Smith being off the floor allows Van Gundy to space the offense better, and the team has averaged 31 3-point attempts over the last four games, a 35-percent increase. Part of that has to do with the Dec. 12 return of Jodie Meeks, who improved the team's wing depth appreciably and provided them with their best 3-point threat. Some of the offensive gains had already been noticeable when Meeks returned and before the removal of Smith who is a career 27.7 percent long-range shooter.
| Pistons | O-Rtg | 3FGA% | 3FG% |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to Dec. 11 | 96.1 | 27.0% | 33.1% |
| Dec. 12-21 | 102.9 | 28.3% | 32.7% |
| since Dec 22 | 114.5 | 36.3% | 43.9% |
| Meeks on floor | 108.3 | 34.9% | 39.6% |
| Meeks off floor | 98.1 | 27.3% | 33.6% |
While Meeks isn't a star by any means, his primary skill is one the Pistons were sorely lacking without him, and happens to be the one area that Smith struggled most in. Flipping Smith for Meeks was always likely to help the flow and balance of the offense, which is why the Pistons had shopped Smith some in the offseason and gave Meeks a three-year, $18.8-million contract, Van Gundy's first major move.
In 10 games since returning, Meeks is averaging 14 points and hitting 48.8 percent from outside, the latter an unsustainable rate. The schedule will get tougher and the Pistons will regress to a more reasonable level, but they're just four-and-a-half games out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Even a more modest uptick in offensive performance is a huge marginal gain for the Pistons, who are surprisingly and realistically still in the thick of the postseason hunt.