The Detroit Pistons have 48 minutes of preseason action behind them. Here is who improved their stock in Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic.
The Detroit Pistons started the 2019-20 preseason in much the same way they finished last season: losing to a longer, more athletic team. The Orlando Magic clamped down on the Pistons for a 115-91 win in the Motor City, flashing a defense that they hope will be one of the tops in the Eastern Conference.
Wing defense and scoring are still a problem for Detroit, as Aaron Gordon scored an efficient 25 points in 25 minutes, getting into the lane at will and knocking down 3-of-7 three’s in the process. Jonathan Isaac added 16 points and 7 rebounds. This was Orlando’s second game, so its starters played more minutes than Detroit’s and they looked more in sync than the Pistons, who were out of rhythm on offense and slow to adjust on defense.
Though not too much can be gleaned from one preseason game, Detroit is going to continue to struggle against long, athletic wings. It has been one of their biggest weaknesses over the past few seasons and one Dwane Casey must figure out.
A couple of general observations about the game:
-Detroit decided to go small in the second unit, which worked and didn’t work in equal measure. The lineup included Luke Kennard at the three, with Derrick Rose and Langston Galloway at guards. Casey tried a lot of lineup combinations, but it has become clear that this three-guard lineup is something he will deploy from time to time. This unit is going to struggle on defense but has some intriguing upside on the other end, where they could potentially put up points in a hurry. I don’t think this unit can stay on the floor for long defensively but should be able to get buckets.
–Sekou Doumbouya only played nine minutes but looked like he belonged. He was a little uncertain on defense and lost his man a couple of times, once for a wide-open three. Doumbouya showed nice touch on his only make, a three that he netted after rolling from a dribble handoff to Khyri Thomas. He shared the court with Christian Wood (more on him later) and Thon Maker for a brief time. This lineup intrigues me, especially defensively with all that length. It’s doubtful we’ll see it much this season, but it shows what Doumbouya adds to this roster, which is length and athleticism.
-We saw what Andre Drummond does well (rebounding, defense, passing) and what he does not (shooting). Drummond nearly broke the backboard on his first three of the season and looked equally bad on an ugly 10-foot hook. Please stop. Drummond’s best play of the night came when he ran the floor and posted right away, got the ball, kicked it out quickly to Snell, who swung it to Kennard for an open three. Drummond cannot shoot and shouldn’t even try, but he can facilitate the offense from the post and the top of the circle, which he did effectively at times.
With several players battling for roster spots or minutes, stocks rose and fell. Let’s take a look at who helped themselves and who didn’t.