Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Lakers 2019-20 season preview

Pistons’ Offense vs. Lakers’ Defense

As most of the league has tried to go small, the Lakers zagged and went big, putting together a roster full of size but lacking shooting. This negates one of the advantages the Pistons have against a lot of teams, as the Lakers trio of McGee/Howard, Davis and LeBron match up well against the Pistons’ bigs.

With Rondo and KCP at guards, the Lakers have the potential to be one of the most versatile and dominant defensive teams in the league. The Pistons starters don’t have a clear advantage anywhere on the floor and will likely need a huge game out of the bench to get a win.

The Lakers lack depth in the second unit, so the Pistons must get buckets from Derrick Rose and Luke Kennard, who should be able to find some favorable matchups.

Though this Lakers team is full of whacky personalities, they can play defense and will present problems for every team in the NBA. If the Lakers get back to the Finals, they will do so by slowing down the game with a lockdown defense.

This will be a game where the Alpha Ginger Blake Griffin will need to play away from the hoop to try and negate Davis’ rim protection. Detroit might even go small, especially in the second unit, put Griffin at center and try to surround him with shooters. The Pistons will have to get dribble penetration and knock down open threes to have a chance against the longer Lakers’ defenders.