How the Pistons’ preseason rotation will translate to the regular season

Detroit Pistons’ preseason is underway and there was plenty to glean from the first game.

NBA preseason isn’t the only time in an NBA calendar year where overreactions run rampant. Players miss shots. Guys who average 30-plus minutes per game during the season play that much in the exhibition, or maybe they don’t play at all. Teams who are good might look bad. Teams who are bad might look good (no slight toward the Knicks, I promise).

In preseason games where guys are trying to get the rust off, get some time in with new teammates within a game environment, is there really anything that we can take from these games moving forward?

It’s not totally fair to assume how individual or team performance may pan out based off of their preseason performances, however you may be able to pull some hints on rotations, and guys who may, or may not, end up playing together during the season.

To do this, let’s take a look at the various rotations that the Pistons rolled out in their first preseason game Tuesday night against the New York Knicks.

Detroit Pistons: Rotations vs. Knicks

Starters:

Cade Cunningham

Jaden Ivey

Saddiq Bey

Bojan Bogdanovic

Isaiah Stewart

No huge surprise here. There may have been some curiosity on who would get the nod at the five spot between Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley III, as Bagley played with the other four preseason starters during the Pistons open practice over the weekend. However, Stewart playing with the starting group gives the core lineup a defensive anchor, along with Stewart’s improved as of late 3-point shooting at the other end of the floor.

I believe that Stewart or Bagley, whichever of the two is not starting, will still be the first guy up off of the bench about mid-way through the first on most nights. If Bagley continues to come off the bench, coach Dwane Casey will most likely still want to get Bagley a decent amount of minutes alongside Cade Cunningham.

Tuesday night’s starters played the first nine minutes of the game fully together, getting some much needed volume on the court alongside each other if this does continue to be the starting five to begin the season.

To note, both Killian Hayes and Bagley were up next to the scorers table by themselves prior to the entire starting group being subbed out, indicating that Dwane Casey’s initial plan may have been to put Hayes and Bagley in alongside Cunningham, Bey, and Bogdanovic, prior to sending in the entire second group.

Second unit:

Killian Hayes

Cory Joseph

Isaiah Livers

Marvin Bagley III

Jalen Duren

The second unit of any team’s lineup will continue to be fluid, actively changing based on injuries or performance concerns, however I do think that this second unit will be close to accurate. A question here is where injured guard Alec Burks fits in once he’s ready to return from injury. The most likely answer is Burks sliding into Cory Joseph’s spot in the second unit, to give the bench some additional shooting from Burks who is a 38 percent career 3-point shooter. Burks could also end up working his way into the starting lineup if coach Casey happens to work him in some nights over Jaden Ivey.

Potentially the biggest question mark with the second unit to me is who will get Burks’ perceived minutes if he does miss time to start the season. The bench rotation on the floor Tuesday night may give us some indication that Casey leans toward Cory Joseph, however I’m curious if others like Rodney McGruder or Hamidou Diallo will fight for those same minutes. I lean towards Rodney McGruder if Burks does miss some time, to add a veteran presence who shot close to 40% from three just last season.

Newly acquired center Nerlens Noel did not play on Tuesday night, leaving us to wonder where he will fit in the rotation as well. It doesn’t appear that Noel will start unless there becomes a sudden need, so coach Casey may have Noel split or share minutes with rookie center Jalen Duren, to let the 18-year old Duren ease into his NBA career. It’s currently unclear whether Duren will spend some time in the G-League with the Motor City Cruise. If he does, Noel will consistently be a strong second unit center for the Pistons while Duren works to develop, barring injury concerns that Noel has unfortunately struggled with for a great deal of his career.

Others receiving minutes:

Rodney McGruder (8 minutes)

Braxton Key (6 minutes)

Jules Bernard (6 minutes)

Stanley Umude (3 minutes)

Buddy Boeheim (2 minutes)

Outside of the first and second units, Tuesday night did not give us the most clear view on all players who will get some regular season minutes, as the Pistons let the game get away fairly early. Two-way players Braxton Key and Buddy Boeheim, as well as Jules Bernard and Stanley Umude who recently signed Exhibit 10 contracts with the Pistons, will likely spend the great majority of their season with the Motor City Cruise. Rodney McGruder will most likely play for spot minutes as they become available throughout the year, along with guaranteed contract players who did not play on Tuesday, like Hamidou Diallo and Kevin Knox.

To start the season, the Pistons will have numerous players fighting for a spot somewhere within the team’s rotation, which can be both a blessing and a curse. However, on a young team with many of its players continuing to develop, it is crucial to have active players with numerous years of NBA experience under their belt, to help fill roles as they become available and help further mold the team’s young centerpieces into a solidified core for a contending team.