Detroit Pistons: One of the most consistent teams in introducing new line-ups frequently
During the season, one thing that really challenged the opposition playing against Detroit Pistons was a new combination of starters most of the time. The season was full of uncertainty for Detroit players, not knowing who will
be playing the next game. The veteran coach John Kuester gave an opportunity to every player to fall in the starting five which worked sometimes.
"I've given guys an opportunity to play well, and if they're playing well, I'm going to ride them. We don't have LeBron James. We don't have Dwight Howard at centre. We have a collection of good players that have to play at a high
level, and on any given night, you look at all of our roster of players, they're capable of giving it to us." Kuester said.
Pistons opened the Saturday night with their 21st different starting line-up as they mixed and matched the way to a 100-88 victory over the Indiana Pacers at Palace of Auburn Hills. Richard Hamilton landed a game-high
23 points who is now starting once again after becoming a backup and then was benched completely.
"Just being ready to play ... staying in tune with the game. When the opportunity is there, just coming out and just playing. ... I know what I bring to the table. I know what I'm capable of doing." Hamilton stated after the game.
Kuester’s experimentation was not only restricted to juggling the line-up, but he also compelled every healthy player to receive a DNP-Coach's Decision this season except Ben Gordon.
There are more than 3000 ways a coach can select five players from a 15-man side. Jonas Jerebko and Terrico White’s season-long injuries slightly limited the Kuester’s options for five-man combination.
The pistons are not the only team to infuse frequent changes in the line-up. Sacramento Kings reached up to 26 different combinations while Washington Wizards came up with 25. One unique thing that Detroit did was entirely changing
the line-up, leaving no resemblance in the starting five at all with the previous games.
Detroit is standing at the eleventh spot in the Eastern Conference with 26 victories and a big number of 47 defeats. With 9 games left in the regular season, playoff run seems like a wild goose chase for the team.
Pistons are going to face Pacers once again on Wednesday as Detroit leads the season series 2-0. But Before that they are going to face Boston Celtics who are fighting with Chicago Bulls to acquire the first spot in the East. The
Pistons are going to make the most of the remaining games as they might not get a chance to play much this season, considering playoffs are just round the corner.
One thing is expected to remain constant for Pistons and that is a different line-up in their upcoming games.
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