Detroit Pistons: How the Pistons handle Ja Morant will tell us a lot

The Detroit Pistons will take on the Memphis Grizzlies in game two of the preseason and will likely be shorthanded with Cade Cunningham still nursing an ankle injury.

The Pistons are obviously being overcautious with the number one pick, but there is some reason for concern, as he has had ankle injuries in the past.

Killian Hayes also missed the first preseason game, though he is expected to make his return in this one after he too twisted an ankle.

When the Pistons’ backcourt is at full strength, they are going to be good defensively, as both Cunningham and Hayes are plus defenders with size who can defend multiple positions on the perimeter.

Both can handle wings as well as guards, and in the case of Cunningham, even power forwards.

But Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies is representative of the types of guards the Pistons might have trouble with this season, so how they handle him will be interesting.

Detroit Pistons: Small, quick guards are going to be tough for Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes

Cunningham is very unlikely to play against Memphis, so we won’t see the Pistons’ full backcourt, but it will still be interesting to see how they try and defend Morant.

Both Cunningham and Hayes are big and talented defenders, but neither of them is lightning quick, so they could potentially have trouble with guards like Morant, who is super fast and will try to beat defenders with speed, not overpowering strength.

Hayes did a good job defending the quick Jalen Green in Summer League, moving his feet well to stay in front of him, but Morant has the type of speed that might give Hayes trouble.

Will the Pistons’ guards be able to stay in front of these types of quick point guards? If not, how are they going to adjust?

If Cunningham misses the game as expected, Saben Lee will likely get the first crack at Morant, and he has the speed to stay in front of him and hopefully give him trouble on-the-ball.

The Pistons could just go big and use a guy like Josh Jackson on Morant, as Jackson can use his size to push Morant around, but he too will have a hard time keeping guards like this in front of him.

The Pistons could just pack the lane and dare Memphis to beat them with 3-point shots, which is what a lot of teams are going to do this season vs. the Grizzlies until Morant proves himself as a more reliable 3-point shooter.

It will also be interesting to see if the Detroit Pistons are able to use their size to punish Morant (and other small guards) on the offensive end. I am certain that when Cunningham returns, we’ll see him posting smaller guards, as he is a 3-level scorer who can get his own shot or create out of the post.

Can the Pistons find a way to offset their lack of guard speed on the defensive end? Can they use their size to punish smaller defenders? We’ll start to get answers to these questions tonight even with Cade Cunningham out.