10 good things and one bad in Pistons win over Warriors

The Detroit Pistons snapped their five-game losing streak in an entertaining win over the Golden State Warriors.

This is where the schedule gets brutal, so this was a big one for Detroit, who will now play Milwaukee twice in a row on the road.

The Pistons look like they are starting to figure some things out offensively, namely that they need to have at least one starter on the floor at all times to have a chance.

Since wins are going to be hard to come by early in the season, I’m going to celebrate each one with a deep dive into what went well for the Pistons.

Here are 10 good things from the Warriors game and one bad one.

Detroit Pistons: The teal

I’ve been on record saying that I don’t particularly like the teal uniforms, mostly because they remind me of an era of Pistons’ basketball that I’d rather forget.

I’m not ready to go to war over it like some fans, but I probably would not have brought them back if I had a choice.

But I have to admit, they are starting to grow on me, especially after the way Detroit played in the controversial color last night. I still think the flaming horsey logo needs work (looks like the cover of an “Extreme Chess!” video game) but the teal with the black sides is working for me.

And no, this page wasn’t taken over and I am not being held hostage.

The defensive effort

Detroit allowed 114 points to team on the tail end of a road back-to-back, so it wasn’t like this was a Goin’ to Work defensive masterclass by any means. But the effort was there, which is something I’ve been waiting to see all season, as Detroit has looked lazy and disinterested on defense at times.

Last night they were at least flying around, closing out hard and making things more difficult on the Warriors, who are one of the better offensive teams in the league when they are rolling. Obviously the results still aren’t completely there, but defense starts with effort, so it was nice to see some last night.

The Cade Cunningham mid-range jumper

Cade has been amazing in his last three games, mostly because he has embraced the elbow mid-range jumper, which is quickly becoming his signature move.

Only three of his 20 shots were 3-pointers last night, and though I would like to see a few more, it makes sense for him to build his game around the mid-range.

It is a hard shot to stop, as defenders have to respect Cade’s ability to get all the way to the rim, so often sag off enough for him to get it off or fall for his hesitation move.

Cade Cunningham is also a very good playmaker from this spot on the floor, so I love when the Pistons’ offense starts at the top of the key, as it gives Cade plenty of space and options.

Every superstar needs a go-to move or a spot on the floor where they thrive, and Cade is finding his.

The Detroit Pistons shooting fewer 3’s as a team

Outside of a couple of guys, the Pistons aren’t a great 3-point shooting team, so it was nice to see them launch fewer last night and hit more of them.

Detroit shot fewer than their average for the season and hit 42 percent of them, mostly as a result of getting good looks. This again goes back to Cade in the mid-range, as he has the gravity to open up spots for the shooters to get open looks, which they did last night.

The Pistons need to build their offense from the mid-range out and not force 3-point shots, as they have plenty of guys who can get to the rim, finish or get fouled, which is far more reliable given their lack of knockdown 3-point shooters.

Isaiah Stewart getting to the line

Fans have talked ad nauseam about Isaiah Stewart’s 3-point shooting and lack of offense this season, but Stewart is finding one way to be effective on offense and that is by getting to the free-throw line.

Stewart led the team with 11 free-throw attempts last night and the best part was that he actually knocked them down, making 10 of them.

Stewart now leads the team with 6.3 free-throw attempts per game and Detroit is second in the league overall in attempts. This is a reliable way for a young, offensively challenged team to get points.

Detroit made 34-of-38 from the free-throw line last night, and if they can continue to knock them down at that rate, more wins are coming.

Isaiah Stewart’s attitude

I love watching Stewart play basketball and after last night I am even more tempted to buy one of his jerseys.

Stewart has gotten off to a tough start shooting the ball this season, but he just puts his head down and goes to work anyway. He hasn’t been scared away from shooting, and regardless of whether they are falling, he plays hard and gives maximum effort.

I love his confidence and the fact that he doesn’t get down on himself like so many young players. He knows his value to this team is far more than just hitting shots, and I thought he played one of the best all-around games of his career last night, mostly through effort.

Can he play against James Wiseman every game? I wrote that Stewart was going to be better than Wiseman ages ago, and I stand by it.

The Detroit Pistons forgetting the bench

The starters all played at least 31 minutes last night and there was only one minute total in the game when there wasn’t at least one starter on the floor.

Outside of Jalen Duren and Isaiah Livers, the bench has been abysmal this season, so why play them at all? This team is young enough to play big minutes, so Dwane Casey doesn’t need to roll with a full 10-man rotation when he doesn’t have 10 good players.

Until Marvin Bagley III and Alec Burks get back, the Pistons really go 7-deep, so it was nice to see Cory Joseph and Hamidou Diallo only play a combined 17 minutes last night, as the “all bench” units have been killing the Pistons.

The less we see of Joseph, Diallo and Hayes right now the better, though the latter should be more effective once the bench is back to full strength. But until then, we need to see a starter in there at all times.

I actually cheered when I saw Cade starting the 4th quarter, as Detroit needed him in there to not allow a run by Golden State. Coach Casey has a bad habit of stubbornly sticking with the rotation even when it is not working, so it was nice to see him adjust.

Letting the young guys play through foul trouble

Detroit has a bad habit of getting into foul trouble early, especially Cade Cunningham, which has ruined the rhythm of several games already.

It happened again last night, as Cade picked up two early fouls and had to sit, but fortunately, coach Casey didn’t leave him out for long. If you are going to bench your players for long stretches when they get into foul trouble to “save” them, you have effectively fouled them out of the game yourself.

Casey has to trust Cade in those situations and hope he is smart enough to make the right play, which he did last night, ending the game with just four fouls in 39 minutes.

Cade Cunningham’s pass to Killian Hayes

This had to be the pass of the year for the Pistons, as Cade threaded this no-look dime through three defenders on the break. It was a thing of beauty.

So happy Killian Hayes finished this masterpiece.

The Detroit Pistons showing up in the second half

The Pistons have had a bad habit of falling apart in the second halves of games this season, so it was nice to see them come out and win both the third and fourth quarters against the Warriors.

Golden State was on the second game of a back-to-back, so Detroit should have been able to wear them down in the second half and that was exactly what happened. It was a steady effort all game and the young Pistons finally showed some grit to close one out in the second half.

One bad thing: The Jalen Duren injury

There was one dark cloud over the night, as rookie Jalen Duren injured his ankle after Hamidou Diallo landed on it awkwardly after Duren swatted Draymond Green.

He had to be helped off the court, but hopefully the ankle injury wasn’t as serious as it looked for Duren, as it’s going to be a disaster for Detroit if he has to miss significant time right now. With Marvin Bagley III still recovering from injury and Nerlens Noel still ramping up his conditioning after not playing all offseason, the Pistons are left dangerously thin at center.

If Noel can’t go tonight they may have to play Saddiq Bey at the five at times or keep Beef Stew in the game for all 48 minutes. Duren has gotten off to a great start and is already an important part of the rotation, especially while Detroit is short handed. Let’s hope he isn’t seriously hurt and gets back to action very soon.