Detroit Pistons: Dwane Casey gave glimpse of possible future roles
The Detroit Pistons will take on the Houston Rockets tonight in a battle of two teams at the bottom of their respective conferences.
This will be one of a handful of important games left in the season that will go a long way towards determining the final lottery odds.
The Pistons are at home and are the better team even though they are missing Cade Cunningham, so this is one they should win. They have a chance to build some momentum after a nice bounce-back game against the Nets, but will have to play with the same consistent energy and effort, especially at the beginning of the game.
Dwane Casey went with a new starting lineup in the game against the Nets, partially out of necessity, as Isaiah Stewart and Isaiah Livers are both nursing injuries and were questionable before the game.
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They ended up playing fewer minutes off the bench, as Casey went with a 9-man rotation with Alec Burks, Bojan Bogdanovic and Saddiq Bey all in the starting lineup to go with the two rookies.
It was an effective rotation and the Pistons got out to fast starts at the beginning of both halves, and it also gave us a glimpse of the future.
Detroit Pistons: Saddiq Bey as a power forward
Bey has played both forward positions this season, but it becoming clear that he is best suited to play the four, as he is not quick enough to stick with a lot of wings and his ability to shoot and create off the bounce are more of an advantage against power forwards.
Bey also had one of his best rebounding games of the season, grabbing nine boards to lead the team.
He also had 25 points, and with eight of his shots coming from behind the 3-point line, which is the kind of volume the Detroit Pistons need from him.
Bey’s ultimate role may be as a power forward off the bench, but if the Pistons end up trading Bogdanovic, he could be the starter next season along with center Jalen Duren. Either way, Bey is not a small forward and should be playing the four whether he starts or comes off the bench.