The Detroit Pistons were obliterated by the Memphis Grizzlies in the second preseason game and there weren’t many positives.
The Pistons had 23 turnovers and 24 fouls to only 17 assists, which pretty much summarizes how this night went.
You can expect the Pistons to have nights like this, as they are young and still not a legit playoff contender even though they have some high-ceiling talent.
This will lead to inconsistency, so the Detroit Pistons are going to look great one night only to look embarrassingly bad the next. It’s going to be an up and down year so prepare.
With Cade Cunningham still out with an injury, the Pistons were shorthanded but that’s no excuse for the lack of effort and intensity we saw last night.
Here are some good and ugly things from this game, starting with some ugly.
Detroit Pistons: Isaiah Stewart hacking
The Pistons racked up five fouls in under two minutes in the first quarter, two of them by starting center Isaiah Stewart.
I was hoping Ben Wallace could impart some advice on this skill, as unlike Beef Stew, Big Ben was a master at defending hard without fouling.
If Stewart is going to be the starting center, he has to cut these silly fouls out of his game, as the Pistons can’t start every game losing a starter early and forcing Kelly Olynyk to play huge minutes at the five.
Stewart did have three blocks in his 15 minutes of play, but can’t continue to pick up fouls away from the rim, as it takes him out of the game, breaks up his rhythm and screws with the Pistons’ rotation.