Pistons midseason grades: 'Consistently inconsistent'

Given the horrific start to last season put a damper on any postseason hopes early, the fact that the Pistons are above .500 this year is a welcome progression.

Through 41 games this season, the Pistons are 22-19 and are in position to end their run of six years out of the playoffs. They’re seven games out of the No. 1 seed in the East, but inconsistencies have plagued them throughout the first half of the season.

Andre Drummond has played at an All-Star level and Reggie Jackson is not far behind. With some improvements added during the offseason, the Pistons look to be among the second-tier of contenders, but have to play better in the second half to realize that goal.

“We’re a pretty consistently inconsistent team,” Jackson said. “We’ve shown at times to play to the level of our opponent. We have flashes of being a really good team and then flashes of being not so good.”

They have wins over some of the league’s top teams, including Golden State, but have lost to some of the bottom-feeders as well. That’ll be the focus for coach Stan Van Gundy in the second half — smoothing out some of the bumps to make it a smoother ride.

“It’s still an up-and-down ride,” Marcus Morris said. “We’re still getting used to each other and we have to continue to get better.”

Go through the gallery above or go here to see the Pistons' midseason grades by Rod Beard of The Detroit News.