Ish Smith has been the Pistons MVP through 55 games (I know I'm shocked too)

[Pharaoh]

Reggie has been bad but transition offense is a regular season strategy. Starting Ish is a bandaid. We need to find some sort of a half court offense or we're going to get railed by every team that grinds it out come playoff time.

i think we've had this argument before, but i disagree 100% that transition is a regular season strategy.

You are on the right track as far as half-court defense improving in the post-season and that certainly makes the ability to properly execute a half-court set incredibly valuable. But its that exact juxtaposition that makes capturing easy buckets in transition even more important.

There is this long standing myth that tempo teams cant win. Clearly not true as proven by teams ranging from the Showtime Lakers to our modern era Warriors. What has derailed most high octane offensive teams such as the Dantoni Suns hasnt been their offensive strategy; its been their defense or lack there if. There is a preconceived notion that if you run, you don't defend. Its hogwash.

Half-court teams also slow the game down, limiting possessions for up and down teams, which keeps the game close. But there is a big difference between 7 seconds or less and simply wanting to push the ball off misses. Being able to get a good look before those improved halfcourt defenses can set, or finding a quick mismatch can be huge.

That doesn't mean we don't need to also be able to back it out, reset and execute. Its not one or the other, no matter how many times you say it.

I think people vastly under-estimate the advantage of pushing the pace in order to get into your offense before the D is set.

IF you're a quality halfcourt team then sure, slow it down, pound the air outta the ball and work for a good shot.

We're not that team though!

I would bet that every single player has better numbers with Smith than RJ - except Drummond.

Sent from my SM-J110F using RealGM mobile app

[epheisey]

Reggie has been bad but transition offense is a regular season strategy. Starting Ish is a bandaid. We need to find some sort of a half court offense or we're going to get railed by every team that grinds it out come playoff time.

i think we've had this argument before, but i disagree 100% that transition is a regular season strategy.

You are on the right track as far as half-court defense improving in the post-season and that certainly makes the ability to properly execute a half-court set incredibly valuable. But its that exact juxtaposition that makes capturing easy buckets in transition even more important.

There is this long standing myth that tempo teams cant win. Clearly not true as proven by teams ranging from the Showtime Lakers to our modern era Warriors. What has derailed most high octane offensive teams such as the Dantoni Suns hasnt been their offensive strategy; its been their defense or lack there if. There is a preconceived notion that if you run, you don't defend. Its hogwash.

Half-court teams also slow the game down, limiting possessions for up and down teams, which keeps the game close. But there is a big difference between 7 seconds or less and simply wanting to push the ball off misses. Being able to get a good look before those improved halfcourt defenses can set, or finding a quick mismatch can be huge.

That doesn't mean we don't need to also be able to back it out, reset and execute. Its not one or the other, no matter how many times you say it.

I think people vastly under-estimate the advantage of pushing the pace in order to get into your offense before the D is set.

IF you're a quality halfcourt team then sure, slow it down, pound the air outta the ball and work for a good shot.

We're not that team though!

I would bet that every single player has better numbers with Smith than RJ - except Drummond.

Sent from my SM-J110F using RealGM mobile app

The series against the Cavs highlighted our issues with a half-court offense. Reliance on Reggie's hero ball is where we hit a road block. They were able to focus the defense on one player, and completely stall our offense when we really needed a basket. That's exactly the time when it would have been important to get an easy bucket like Ish creates. Reggie makes our offense entirely one dimensional. Ish makes every one of our players an option offensively.

[BadMofoPimp]

I still remember his first 2-3 years in the league. I went to Magic games he played in and dude was so fast and raw that he was extremely erratic. I am glad he has finally found his rythmn and learned the game to the point where he is a great asset. With his low turnover rate, he would be a fine starter on this team if the rest of the lineup can hold up their end.