The Detroit Pistons have gotten inconsistent production from their starting lineup all season.
A lot of this is due to injury, as Jerami Grant had to miss time, Cade Cunningham has been out a few games and guys like Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes never really found their groove offensively.
Hayes was recently moved to the bench and has played well since, including last night, when his defense was key to the Pistons’ bench turning the game around.
In fact, now that the Detroit Pistons have Marvin Bagley III coming off the bench, their second unit is starting to look like a weapon on both ends.
The Pistons clearly need some upgrades in the starting five, particularly at the guard spot opposite Cade Cunningham, but their bench is a well-formed unit that should be able to win them some games.
The Detroit Pistons’ bench is a weapon
The Pistons’ bench has been good all season, even before the trade for Marvin Bagley III, scoring the 4th-most points in the NBA.
This was on display again last night, as Detroit’s bench outscored the Cavaliers’ 53-35, which was the difference in the game.
They haven’t even been at full strength since acquiring Bagley III, but once they are, this group is well-balanced and can win games for the Pistons.
- Killian Hayes
- Frank Jackson
- Hamidou Diallo
- Marvin Bagley III
- Kelly Olynyk
That’s not a bad five-man team right there, with defensive stoppers in Hayes and Diallo, shooters with Olynyk and Jackson and two big men that complement each other well.
We saw the latter last night, when Olynyk was able to throw a lob to Bagley III out of the post.
Bagley III has already benefitted Killian Hayes, who used him as an emergency outlet a few times in the win over Cleveland. I am excited to see what they can do in the pick-and-roll, as Hayes has not had a big to work with for most of the season.
I love the defensive energy that Hayes and Diallo bring, and this group has enough athleticism and scoring to run some other team’s bench units out of the gym.
This can be their bench moving forward, now they just have to work on upgrades to the starting five, which will come this offseason in the draft and free agency.