Detroit Pistons: One thing to be worried about every Western Conference team

More Worries than just the obvious

These two teams feature former MVPs and some of the top star power in the league. Their strengths are obvious, and their superstars will be a concern every night. However, what should worry Detroit is not what you might think.

Golden State Warriors

Detroit has played well against the Golden State Warriors during this current Warrior’s run, even beating them in the season they won 73 games. Detroit presents matchup problems for the Warriors, especially on the boards, where Detroit has dominated over the last few seasons. Everyone knows about perennial MVP candidate Stephen Curry, who has always killed the Pistons, as well as Draymond Green, the Warriors’ versatile big man. But what Detroit needs to worry about is Kevon Looney.

I might sound like a loony for saying this, but Detroit must dominate the boards to be able to handle Golden State. Even without Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson the Warriors will be able to put up points and will feature a dynamic backcourt that will be hard to stop. Detroit cannot let the Warriors get second shots, they have to clean up the defensive boards and limit the Warriors to one shot while dominating the offensive glass and getting extra looks for themselves on the other end.

This means stopping Looney, whose primary job on the floor is to set screens, run the break and rebound. He will look to build off of last year’s playoff success, which was enough to get him a new contract. Looney’s numbers have gotten better every year and he can have a productive season just by playing his role. Detroit needs to worry about keeping him in check and not allowing him to be an X-factor for the Warriors.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets feature two former MVPs in Westbrook and James Harden. No one has been able to stop Harden and everyone knows the only way to play Russ is to back off and let him shoot. The real concern for Detroit should be Houston’s shooters, who are going to get a huge number of open looks off of the penetration of Westbrook and Harden.

The Rockets feature a slew of players who can shoot the three and they will be launching them at a historic rate. This should worry Detroit, whose perimeter defense was middle of the pack last year. Playing Harden and Westbrook straight up might result in a combined 60 points, which is fine as long as the Rockets aren’t raining open threes as well. Detroit needs to stay at home and make sure the Rockets’ shooters don’t run wild.