Detroit Pistons: Jackson, Griffin expected to play against Nets

The Detroit Pistons will host the Brooklyn Nets at Little Caesars Arena on Monday night. Reggie Jackson and Blake Griffin are expected to make their preseason debut.

Monday could be the first time that Detroit Pistons fans see Reggie Jackson and Blake Griffin play this preseason.

According to Rod Beard of The Detroit News, both will be placed on a minutes restriction as the Pistons (1-1) play host to Brooklyn Nets (0-1) at Little Caesars Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST on Fox Sports Detroit.

The Pistons aren’t likely to face much of a test, since the Nets are still one of the least-talented teams in the Eastern Conference. Spencer Dinwiddie (who was originally drafted by Detroit) had a career year last season, and will look to continue his momentum.

Defensive specialist DeMarre Carroll has given the Pistons trouble in the past, so it’ll be interesting to see how they fare against him. Aside from that, it should be a night where we see a lot of 3-pointers, shots in the paint, and plenty of stops on defense.

Here are three things to watch for on Monday night.

1. Andre Drummond’s play

So far, Andre Drummond has been pretty good this preseason. He’s been the best player on the floor, by far, for the Pistons in their first two games.

Drummond has continued his steady rebounding prowess, coming away with 26 boards in total. He’s also been very active on defense, showing much more effort and determination to block or alter shots.

The center has also displayed quite a bit of confidence on the offensive side, by grabbing rebounds and putting them right back up.

Drummond has shown his new-found jump shot by making a 19-footer in Oklahoma City. He hasn’t been afraid to shoot the three, although he hasn’t made one yet.

But his jumper looks much better. I’m expecting more of the same from him on Monday.

2. Stanley Johnson’s early success

Stanley Johnson is definitely playing with more confidence this preseason. He hasn’t stayed solely on the perimeter, as he’s done in year’s past.

Johnson has been attacking the basket and posting up on smaller defenders. But he hasn’t been afraid to let it fly from beyond the arc either. The bottom line? He’s been mixing it up offensively.

So I’ll be looking forward to watching him continue to use his strength and drive inside.

3. Collective 3-point shooting

We all knew coming into this year that the Detroit Pistons would commit to taking more 3-point shots. But when you watch the game on Monday, you may be surprised at how many they’re shooting.

The Pistons are hoisting up them from downtown, shooting 76 triples in the first two games. It’s actually fun to see, even though they’ve only made 19 of them. You can see the shot spectrum that Casey has talked about in previous interviews.

Most if, not all shots, are in the lane or behind the arc. Analytically, those are usually the highest-percentage shots, and Detroit has lived in those areas so far in the preseason.