Omari Sankofa II | Detroit Free Press
After Sunday’s 123-112 defeat of the New Orleans Pelicans, the Detroit Pistons finally have a winning streak. They’ve won two straight games for the first time this season, and their momentum from Friday’s road victory against the Boston Celtics carried over.
Only Thursday’s blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers at home blemished what was otherwise the Pistons’ best week of the season, by far. They’ve won three of their last four games, including Tuesday’s home win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. If you go back to their double-overtime loss against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 6, the 8-19 Pistons appear to be finding some real traction.
There have been more positives than negatives as of late, and this week’s stock watch reflects that.
TUESDAY’S STAR: Pistons use hot start, Jerami Grant to upset Nets
FRIDAY’S STAR: How did Saddiq Bey lead Detroit Pistons to another win over Celtics? Never losing confidence
SUNDAY’S STAR: Mason Plumlee dominates Pelicans with triple-double
Stock up
Saddiq Bey: The rookie wing has been on a tear this past week. After tallying 16 points, six assists and four rebounds against the Pelicans on Sunday, he’s shooting 71.4% overall (25-for-35) and 69.6% (16-for-23) from 3 in his last four outings. Actually, his 7-for-11 overall, 4-for-8 3-point performance on Sunday was one of his least effective games of the week; he shot 10-for-12 overall and made all seven of his 3-pointers against the Celtics, and hit all six of his shots from the field against the Nets. Yeah, he earned his start on Sunday.
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Delon Wright: Like Bey, Wright is in the midst of a hot streak. Over his past five games, he’s averaging 17.8 points, seven assists and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 59.6% overall and 54.5% from 3. That stretch has coincided with the best stretch of basketball by the Pistons this season. It’s becoming clear that the Pistons are significantly better when Wright’s aggressive.
Josh Jackson: Surprise, surprise — Jackson’s also hot. Since Jan. 30, he’s averaging 18 points, 5.6 rebounds, a steal and nearly a block in 27.7 minutes per game, shooting 48.5% overall and knocking down 40.5% of his 5.3 3-point attempts per game. He’s been incredibly productive off of the bench, and noticeably more aggressive and confident in his drives to the rim.
Stock down
Jerami Grant: After scoring at least 20 points in 20 of his first 24 games this season, it’s hardly surprising or concering that Grant has cooled down. Over his past three games, he’s averaging 13 points, four rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 blocks while shooting 27.1% overall and 30% from 3. The Pistons are 2-1 in that stretch, so his cold streak hasn’t been a disaster. But after being Detroit’s best player on both ends of the floor all season, while logging the most minutes on the roster, perhaps he’s starting to feel the season’s grind a little.
SHAWN WINDSOR: Many laughed when Grant signed with Pistons. Who’s laughing now?
Blake Griffin: It seems as though Griffin’s flashes of strong play have been more frequent as of late. He’s still the best passer on the roster, and can make plays in the paint. But that consistent impact just hasn’t been there. Over his past three games, he’s averaging 12.3 points, 4.7 assists and four rebounds while shooting 37.1% overall and 29.4% from 3. He played his first back-to-back of the season Thursday and Friday, and the Pistons rested him Sunday to make up for it.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.