Pistons Notes: Van Gundy, Morris, Ilyasova

The Pistons added many new pieces during the offseason and the team is just starting to gel, but President of Basketball Operations/coach Stan Van Gundy is always keeping an eye out for upgrades, Rod Beard of the Detroit News writes.

“You’re always on the lookout for a guy that you think either now or for the future appreciably changes your talent,” Van Gundy said. “You really approach it the same way you always do — you’re talking and seeing what’s out there, but there hasn’t been anything that’s even made us take a second look, at this point.”

Still, Van Gundy values continuity and he’s happy with the team as currently constructed.

“I don’t think you can truly get good until you have some continuity to what you’re doing,” Van Gundy said. “We’ll be pretty careful — not to say we’re not looking. Jeff’s on the phone every day and you’re always looking. You’re doing your diligence, but at the same time, we like our group.”

Here’s more out of Detroit:

  • Offense has been a huge improvement for the Pistons this season, as they are averaging 101.8 points per game, up from 98.5 points per game last season. The next step in the team’s progression is getting offseason acquisitions Marcus Morris and Ersan Ilyasova more involved, Aaron McMann of Mlive.com writes. “We know what Marcus can do, we’ve still got to find and he’s got to find better ways to get the ball in his spot,” Van Gundy said. “I think Ersan has fit very well. He’s been able to find his shots without us doing a whole lot for him.”
  • Keith Langlois of NBA.com examines the Van Gundy tenure in Detroit and notes that only three players — Andre Drummond, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Brandon Jennings — remain from when he took over front office duties in May of 2014.
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