You can’t read too much into preseason, but the Detroit Pistons did not look great in their first loss to the New York Knicks.
The Pistons shot poorly and turned the ball over, but they also looked overmatched at times against the bigger and more athletic Knicks.
Jalen Duren was one of the only bright spots, as the rookie grabbed 14 rebounds and showed signs of an elite defender, which is great considering he is the youngest player in the NBA.
The Pistons ran out a starting five of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Saddiq Bey, Bojan Bogdanovic and Isaiah Stewart, which left them undersized against a big Knicks’ front court.
That challenge will be even greater tonight, as the Pelicans are even bigger and more athletic than the Knicks, so Dwane Casey might be tempted to switch things up to get more favorable matchups.
Could we see more of Jalen Duren tonight, and should he be in the starting lineup?
Detroit Pistons: Starting lineup against bigger teams
After adding Bojan Bogdanovic in a trade, the Pistons have a number of options for starting lineups depending on the opponent.
But tonight’s game against New Orleans presents some unique challenges, as few teams have guys like Jonas Valanciunas and Zion Williamson in the front court.
Isaiah Stewart may have the best chance against Zion, but that may require some adjustments to the starting lineup, including putting Jalen Duren at center to try and slow down Jonas Valanciunas, who is also very good in the post.
We could see both Stewart and Duren together in the starting five, but then who goes to the bench? Would Detroit consider moving one of Saddiq Bey or Bojan Bogdanovic to the bench against bigger teams?
The flip side of being smaller is that you can hopefully push the pace and run the bigger team off the floor, but other than Jaden Ivey, the Pistons aren’t speed demons at any position, so it’s going to be tough for them to take advantage and create mismatches against bigger teams.
Their best chance is to make New Orleans chase them around on the perimeter and to knock down a ton of 3-point shots to offset the Pelicans’ size advantage, so this will be a big test for Detroit’s shooters.
This is a question that is going to hover over the Detroit Pistons all season, as they are undersized with their current starting five and may need to consider adjustments against bigger teams.
Whether Duren starts or not, he should get plenty of run tonight, as Detroit needs his size and athleticism against the Pelicans.