3 takeaways from the Detroit Pistons 108-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls

Credit to the young front court

As it was previously mentioned, following Drummond’s ejection came an explosion off the bench that the Pistons desperately needed. Wood, who in his minutes earlier in the game had struggled to establish an effective position on defense which lead to a few easy baskets for Chicago, rose to the occasion. Finishing the game with 17 points and 14 rebounds on 66 percent shooting, he was able to battle his way to the basket on multiple occasions, and showed flashes of his ability to dominate the boards.

Thon Maker – who is most notably not given the same affection by the fans that Wood is – also made the most of his minutes tonight. Glancing at the box score won’t be entirely indicative of what his performance showed tonight, scoring 10 points but only securing 2 rebounds. (on 80 percent shooting though!)

He was a serviceable rim protector and was able to capitalize on scoring opportunities – something that he’s regularly struggled with this season. In his post-game press conference, Dwane Casey reference the two big men and praised them for their effort. This has been the reoccurring theme these last few weeks. Although the Pistons may be losing, they play their hearts out until the final buzzer sounds.

Watching these two play a majority of the second half gives fans a glimpse into what life would potentially be like without Drummond on the team. It’s scary. It’s slightly worrisome. But those are our guys.