The Detroit Pistons had an up and down preseason, going 2-2 even though they were shorthanded in every game.
Cade Cunningham has yet to play, which is somewhat worrying, but let’s hope the Pistons are just being extra cautious with the number one pick and that he’ll be ready to go when the games count.
The Pistons looked great in their opening win vs. the Spurs, got absolutely embarrassed in the loss to the Grizzlies, before bouncing back with more energy in a defensive struggle against the Knicks and winning the finale against a very shorthanded 76ers team.
Since we have yet to see the full squad in action, it’s hard to know where they stand in some areas, but we have learned a few things about the Detroit Pistons so far.
The Detroit Pistons need to stay healthy
This is a rebuilding team, so it is not surprising that the Pistons do not have the quality depth to be able to overcome a bunch of injuries.
The Pistons’ overall depth has improved, but if guys like Saben Lee and Frank Jackson have to play huge minutes, they are likely to get exposed.
I like the Pistons’ bench this season, but that bench gets thin quickly if they are missing a starter or two, so the Pistons’ success this season will be heavily impacted by injuries.
This is true of every team in the NBA, but when you are young and rebuilding you need every body you have, so let’s hope all of these twisted ankles go away and the Pistons have a healthy season without any major injuries.
The Detroit Pistons are small and will need a team effort on the glass
The Pistons won the rebounding battle in two of their four preseason games after getting smoked on the glass in the first two games.
They did a much better job against Philly, and we able to keep Andre Drummond in check, though let’s not forget that Philly was missing most of their team including starting center Joel Embiid.
The Pistons are not a big team at center, with just Isaiah Stewart and Kelly Olynyk, who are not traditional centers and play more like power forwards.
Luka Garza is likely to start the season in the G-League, so the Pistons are going to have to rely on a team effort to not get killed on the boards.
This means guys like Saddiq Bey, Josh Jackson, Hamidou Diallo, Cade Cunningham and Jerami Grant need to step up and rebound their positions, especially on defense, where the Pistons have to get boards to close out possessions and keep teams from getting extra shots.
This is going to be an issue all season, and the Detroit Pistons are going to need everyone to pitch in on the boards to help out their bigs.
Detroit Pistons: Team shooting and free throws
Shooting is probably the biggest concern for the Detroit Pistons entering the season, especially if they have to play any of it without Cade Cunningham.
The Pistons were fairly terrible last season, especially from long range, and so far in the preseason there is no sign that things have improved.
The Pistons shot horribly in preseason, and if you just looked at their shooting stats, you’d guess that they got blown out in every game.
One of things that kept them in the games (other than against Memphis) was that the Pistons lived at the free-throw line.
They were 29-of-35 from the line against Philly which was the difference in the game. This is something the Pistons can lean into, as they have a lot of athletic players who can get to the rim and draw fouls.
The Pistons are a scrappy team, so I expect them to get plenty of fouls of their own, so a lot of games are going to come down to who gets to the line more and makes more free throws.
Hopefully the Pistons can offset their poor outside shooting by getting to the line and knocking them down at a higher rate than they did last season, when they were near the top of the NBA in attempts but near the bottom in team percentage.