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Pistons promising start coming despite evidence SVG’s offense isn’t yet what he envisions

LOS ANGELES – You don’t have to be a basketball junkie or a stats maven to grasp why the Golden State Warriors are such a joy to behold offensively. They pass the eye test and then some.

But a peek into the advanced statistics gives a clue as to why the Warriors lead the league in scoring and 3-point shooting – why they’re so much fun to watch, too.

In the obscure categories of shots launched quickly and with a minimum of dribbles taken, Golden State ranks first. While 56.6 percent of Golden State’s shots are taken without a dribble by the shooter, 66.3 percent of its shots are taken in less than two seconds upon the shooter receiving the ball.

Now think of the best moments the Pistons have had offensively this season. The images that pop into your head are probably (a) Reggie Jackson weaving his way to the basket for a tough layup or runner; (b) Andre Drummond soaring above the crowd for a rebound and jamming it home; or (c) Marcus Morris isolating and sinking a jump shot over his defender’s block attempt.

The numbers back that up, too. The Pistons are last in the league in shots attempted within two seconds of receiving the basketball (47.8 percent of attempts) and 29th, ahead of only Portland, in shots taken with zero dribbles by the shooter (42.6 percent). The Pistons rank ninth (17.3 percent) in shots after three to six dribbles and third (13.4 percent) in shots taken after seven or more dribbles. They’re fourth (15.9 percent) in shots taken after the shooter has had the ball for six-plus seconds.

Stan Van Gundy doesn’t have to look at the numbers to confirm his suspicions, but he’s aware of what they say.

“It’s one of the things we really tried to talk about today and will continue to,” he said after Thursday’s practice at USC’s Galen Center. “We have a lot of guys who hang on to the ball, either holding it or just dribbling it a lot more than we need to be doing.”

Those numbers by themselves don’t necessarily paint the picture of a dysfunctional offense. Not every team is constructed like Golden State. Van Gundy probably wouldn’t expect the Pistons, even at their best, rising to the top of the list in categories for shots with little touch time and few dribbles – not with Morris’ isolation game a big part of the offense and Jackson’s strengths as a penetrator plus the need to keep his dribble alive to keep Drummond’s threat as a roll man intact.

Yet there’s a happy medium to be found and more ball movement is the way to get there. But …

“We don’t have a lot of guys that naturally move the ball,” Van Gundy said. “Steve Blake’s a ball mover. (Anthony Tolliver) is a ball mover. Ersan (Ilyasova) can be a ball mover. That’s … that’s not a long enough list.”

The lack of ball movement didn’t emerge as a concern down the stretch last season when Jackson settled in as the starting point guard following his February addition at the trade deadline. Jackson averaged 10.3 assists per 36 minutes in his 27 games after joining the Pistons; his numbers through eight games – not a huge sample size, but enough to spot a trend – this season are barely half that at 5.8 per 36.

“And his shots are way up (20.1 attempts per 36 to 17.4 with the Pistons last season),” Van Gundy said. “I don’t have an answer for that. It’s early, but we have not been as free to pass the ball as we should.”

Another number that backs him up: The Pistons rank dead last in the NBA in percentage of baskets made without an assist at 55.2 percent. If that speaks to the one-on-one scoring ability of players like Jackson and Morris, it also underscores the danger of relying on so much individual play for scoring. The Pistons are 26th in field-goal shooting at 42.2 percent and 22nd in 3-point shooting at 31.8 percent.

“It’s got to change,” Van Gundy said.