Detroit Pistons: Strong performances give hope in tough loss

The Detroit Pistons came up just short in a hard fought battle against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. It looked like the Pistons would be able to pull this one out and snap their 3-game skid, however they did not have enough down the stretch to make it happen.

The Pistons were short-handed, missing rookie guard Jaden Ivey due to a non-COVID related illness, and had to rely on some rotation players that they may not normally need when closing out a game.

While this one would have been huge to put in the win column, a few Pistons performances stood out amongst their peers.

Detroit Pistons: Bojan Bogdanovic’s big night

It’s clear that Bojan Bogdanovic has been far and away the top offensive threat for the Pistons so far this season. He started the night a bit slow, but couldn’t be stopped as the game progressed.

Bogdanovic finished the night with 33 points, his 25th career 30-point game. As soon as you’d think the Pistons may be out of the game, Bogdanovic came back with big shot after big shot, including a 4-point play that almost gave the Pistons the edge. Bojan had it going from all over last night:

He seemed to be able to bail the Pistons out at certain points when the younger players made mistakes or didn’t see their shots fall. Bojan has been a high point for the team early in the season, and you have to hope that his shooting volume and efficiency will continue throughout the year.

Cade Cunningham generating offense

As the early season continues, we’ve all been waiting for Cade to have a night like he did against the Hawks, which unfortunately didn’t end up leading to a winning effort.

In the first half, it quickly felt like a special night was brewing for Cunningham, who couldn’t miss from the field. He came back down to Earth in the second half, and struggled to find his shot in crunch time, but Wednesday night was easily the best all-around game for Cunningham this season.

A common theme through his young career is coming to life as the game progresses, oftentimes struggling early on. Against the Hawks, Cade was able to see some shots fall immediately, scoring the first five points for the Pistons. This is a positive sign that he can hopefully build upon as his second year continues.

I would have liked to see some better takes and shot creation for Cunningham as the second half continued, however it was clear that the opposition was trying to do anything they could to nip Cade’s big night in the bud. Figuring out a way to continue scoring in these situations will be something that he will need to do to result in winning games.

Isaiah Livers’ long-range shooting

Livers scored 12 points during the loss against the Hawks, all of those points coming from 3-point range. He saw the ball fall at a high volume compared to his other performances so far this season, which we hope to be a confidence driver for the second-year wing.

It’s clear that Livers saw a bit of an increased role due to others who were not playing, however a shooting performance like this could lead to a greater minutes share moving forward. Livers also played his way into the closing lineup, which he could continue to find himself in depending on the momentum he’s able to generate each game.

The floor spacing that Livers provides is continuing to be a positive whenever he’s on the floor, and if he continues to shoot at this high of a clip, it will be tough for Dwane Casey not to continue expanding his role.

Saddiq Bey making a splash

Bey seemed to have his best game of the season as well, finding ways to make things happen offensively just when the Detroit Pistons needed it. Early on, there have been questions on how Bogdanovic’s volume and performance would impact his development. But, on Wednesday night, Bey was able to find a way to contribute in new ways alongside Bojan.

Bey’s shooting volume has not been nearly as high as Cunningham or Bogdanovic’s this season, so Saddiq will need to convert on the opportunities that he does find himself in.

In Wednesday night’s loss against the Hawks, Bey was able to use his strength to get to the rim, gain opportunities at the foul line, and convert on the few clean 3-point looks that he saw.

How Bogdanovic’s volume impacts Bey’s development is certainly something to keep an eye on, however I think that this is a good challenge for Bey to figure out new ways to score and impact the game. One area I’m hoping to see more production in is within the post, to have Bey use his muscle to score or get to the line as opposed to sticking to the 3-point line on most possessions.