Detroit Pistons look to have starting lineup set for opening night

Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey specified that tonight’s starters will be the same ones on opening night of the regular season.

According to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, head coach Dwane Casey is starting the five guys tonight that will start in the regular season opener for the Detroit Pistons.

What are the perks and flaws of this starting lineup? I think the biggest perk is having Reggie Jackson, Blake Griffin, and Andre Drummond on the floor at the same time.

Those three are vital to the success of the Detroit Pistons. Having them healthy and together will be key, especially accounting for Jackson.

He went through a lot of rehab this summer and believes he’s finally healthy. Jackson talked about his ankle with Keith Langlois from the official website of the Detroit Pistons:

"“It actually feels good. I feel like I can cut again,” he said. “Once I get going fully, just see how it feels. But it feels night and day compared to last year. … I think anybody who watched, I never looked right. I never ran right. But that’s what you do. Everybody has nicks and bruises in this game.”"

The Pistons were just 12-25 without Jackson as their starting point guard last season. Griffin’s health has also been a concern. He’s missed at least 15 games in each of the last three seasons.

Knowing those two are healthy coming into a new campaign makes me feel better about this season.

Reggie Bullock starting at shooting guard isn’t much of a surprise. He had a career year last season. Bullock shot 44 percent from three-point range which was second best in the league.

His 6-7 frame at shooting guard makes him more versatile as a defender as well. He will have a size advantage over the majority of shooting guards in the league.

Stanley Johnson can be the ‘X-Factor’ in this starting lineup. We know what he’s capable of on defense. What can he be on the offensive end of the court?

Johnson has struggled with shooting the basketball. His shot does look different to this point in the preseason. In Detroit’s first game of the preseason, Johnson buried his first three-point attempt of the game.

He looked comfortable with his release and the ball had arc. Overall, he looked confident taking that shot. There was zero hesitation in doing it.

Can he at least be respectable from outside? That will be something to watch as the regular season approaches.

One lineup idea intrigues me. Moving Bullock to small forward and having Luke Kennard at shooting guard opens up more offensive opportunities for this team in my opinion.

Kennard is a fantastic shooter. Bullock might be a bit undersized at small forward in certain situations. However, it’s not against the norm for NBA teams to have smaller, more shooter-friendly lineups.

It’s not like this idea won’t ever be explored during the regular season either. Casey’s decision on the starting lineup is the right one for now.