10 good things and one bad in Pistons’ win over Magic
Detroit Pistons: 10 good things, one bad in win over Orlando Magic
4. Bogdanovic’s leadership
Bojan Bogdanovic led Detroit in scoring with 24 points and hit six 3-point shots, so it was a great debut for him. But I was also impressed by his leadership, as Bojan was talking all night, giving advice in the huddle and showing a little bit if a nasty streak talking trash to the Magic. He has some intangibles that we haven’t really talked about, so while the shooting is great, he will also bring some toughness, edge and valuable mentorship to this young team.
5. Isaiah Stewart’s all-around game
Stewart hit the shot that essentially sealed the game, but he had a solid all-around game last night aside from hitting the big shot. Stewart is the Pistons’ best defender and moved all over the court last night, guarding just about everyone at some point. He made some nice passes, got some tough rebounds and got to the line, hitting 7-of-8 free throws that were crucial at a time when Detroit was having a hard time scoring.
Related Story. Winners and losers from the Detroit Pistons' preseason. light
Stewart is showing a lot of confidence and growth for a 21-year-old and that he is the glue guy for this Detroit team who does all of the little things. We focus so much on the shooting, but Beef Stew does a lot well for this team.
6. Cade Cunningham’s poise
The Pistons got off to a rough start, particularly Cade Cunningham, who threw the ball away several times early in the game and couldn’t seem to get a shot off. He does need to stop jumping before he knows what he is going to do with the ball, but after those three early turnovers, Cunningham settled down and it was his poise that kept the Pistons in the game. He just kept doing his thing, setting up teammates while knowing that his shot was eventually going to start falling and it did. Cade took over in the 3rd quarter, got to the rim and knocked down some bunnies which forced the defense to react. He didn’t get rattled after a poor start, and at one point air balled a 3-point shot, got it back off the offensive rebound and promptly drilled the second try, showing that he doesn’t lose confidence. He took his time on the final play of the game and made the right read to Stew in the corner. When Cade is going well the game seems to slow down around him, and he showed a lot of poise to bounce back after a rough start to the game.