Detroit Pistons: The post-trade deadline starting lineup will tell us a lot

Detroit Pistons: Jalen Duren’s progress and Saddiq Bey’s position

The post-trade deadline starting five will also give a good indication about where the team feels Jalen Duren is with his development.

He showed flashes of what he does very well in Summer League, which is catch lobs, run the floor with intent and block shots.

But we also got glimpses of things he must improve, particularly his rebounding, which has been mediocre for a guy with his size and athleticism. Dwane Casey isn’t  just going to gift a teenager a starting role, so if Duren is in the starting five later in the season, it’s a good sign that the team is happy with his development.

Saddiq Bey is going to start the season as the starting small forward, but will he end up there? Bey has had trouble defending quicker wings, and his best position (especially defensively) may end up being power forward.

I do think Detroit is going to experiment with him there at times, and we could see the “small-ball” Pistons unleashed after the trade deadline with both Livers and Bey in the starting five in an effort to get more shooting around Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.

Hopefully all of this will be moot and the Pistons will be playing for the postseason, but if they aren’t, a lot of our questions will be answered after the trade deadline.