As the Detroit Pistons search for redemption against the Dallas Mavericks, Stanley Johnson will be the most important player on the floor.
The Detroit Pistons (21-28) face off against the Dallas Mavericks (22-27) at home in Little Caeser’s Arena Thursday night as the Motor City’s team sits three games behind the Charlotte Hornets, who sit at the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference.
The last time the two teams met on January 25, rookie forward Luka Doncic scored 32 points on 47.4 percent shooting from the floor, with eight assists and eight rebounds.
But, Doncic is the given for the Dallas Mavericks. To win tomorrow night’s game, the Detroit Pistons have to figure out how to catch fire on both sides of the ball, simultaneously.
Their strong offensive start in the first meeting between the two teams this season yielded a 28-23 lead over the Dallas Mavericks. Second quarter defensive woes allowed 39 points and the Mavs ended the first quarter shooting nine percent better than the Pistons with 18 more bench points, which ultimately resulted in a loss.
Nothing’s much changed since then. Blake Griffin remains the key to the Detroit Piston’s offense. Yet, this time around the spotlight sits squarely on Stanley Johnson’s ability to be aggressive on more than one side of the ball.
Stating the obvious, Johnson has to do better than 0-for-6 shooting on the night. While the Mavericks scored 18 points in the fourth quarter, highlighting a strong defensive effort from Detroit – specifically Johnson – the Detroit Pistons scored two points less in the quarter.
Their heightened attention to the defensive side of the ball led Dwane Casey to keep Johnson in the game late, even though the Pistons’ offense was quite stale with him on the floor. Coach Casey was forced to pick his poison.
Johnson is arguably Detroit’s best wing defender, but keeping him in action late left points on the table and allowed the Mavericks to sneak away with the victory.
Thursday night must be different for Stanley.
No one expects him to go off for 32 points a la Blake Griffin. Yet, the expectation is that he does not continue to be an offensive liability when the Detroit Pistons need to keep him in play as a defensive stud. Two points and four fouls just isn’t enough.
Coach Dwane Casey will need Johnson to be his guy again on Thursday to keep Doncic “contained”. Griffin’s scoring and Andre Drummond’s rebounding will be key.
But, Stanley Johnson’s capabilities as a two-way contributor are most vital in this moment.