The Detroit Pistons’ schedule was released yesterday, and as expected, the team is not featured heavily on national television.
The Detroit Pistons will play four nationally televised games this season: three on NBA TV and one on ESPN. If we prioritize team success and growth this season, which of these four games are most important for the team to win, and what should we expect from each game?
On November 29th, the Detroit Pistons will play the Los Angeles Lakers in Little Ceasars Arena
I expect the Lakers to be an up and down team again this season. Gabe Vincent and Jaxson Hayes are solid additions, and combined with extensions to Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves, the Lakers may have a team that can grow through LeBron’s last days. They are, however, one piece away from being true contenders. Without an elite point guard or wing, the Lakers will continue to focus on making the playoffs and then expect LeBron to pull a Willis Reed, throw down his walker, and take them to the promised land.
Which, if we’re honest, he may be capable of doing.
For the Detroit Pistons, a nationally televised game should be an opportunity to make Lebron and company’s goals harder to reach. They should circle this date as a game they can win and an opportunity to show the league how they’ve developed. Playing LeBron should always be fun, whether anyone bleeds or not, and competitors should relish the opportunity to put one of the greatest players ever on the bench in the fourth quarter.
This game is an opportunity for Detroit’s big men to show their skills. Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart should relish the opportunity to take turns defending Anthony Davis. Davis has an exceptional offensive skillset, and working each possession to make his life a little harder should be a point of pride. Davis has the ability to defend the post at a high level as well, which should give MB3 and James Wiseman opportunities to showcase their footwork and offensive post moves.
Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes will both provide an extra element of hustle to this game, but it’s nothing the bouncy, big rotation mentioned above can’t handle.
The Pistons have new and improved point and wing defenders. Cunningham, Sasser, Ivey, and Hayes should be a strong rotation capable of making D’Angelo Russell work. Gabe Vincent and Austin Reaves both love to cut, and the guard rotation mentioned along with Ausar Thompson should cut down on those passing lanes.
No matter the final score, this game should be fun to watch, and it’s an opportunity for the Pistons to show their new and developing identity.
On Thursday, December 21st, the Detroit Pistons will play the Utah Jazz in Little Ceasars Arena
This should be a fun, winnable game for the Detroit Pistons. Initially last season, teams didn’t know how to plan for a Utah team overhauled in the offseason. Then, teams developed solid scouting reports, and Utah’s meteoric rise fell to earth. They became the team they were expected to be. Nonetheless, Lauri Markkanen enjoyed a breakout season, and this summer, Danny Ainge acquired John Collins in another savvy move.
The Jazz have a bright future, but the Pistons should be entering their long-awaited present. These are the games Detroit needs to win to take proper steps forward, games against other rebuilding teams.
I expect Bojan Bogdanovic to want to put up big numbers against his former team, and Detroit should look to run him through off-ball screens to get him catch-and-shoot opportunities.
A defensive-minded guard lineup, which the Pistons have no matter who’s on the floor, should disrupt a Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson backcourt.
Markkanen’s height should match up interestingly against Ausar Thompson’s speed and athleticism. I’m interested to see if Utah looks to get the right switch for Markkanen, and who would that be? Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren are both athletic enough to force him to drive, but he can shoot over the top of a guard.
Games like this, where the opposition has a clear advantage in a specific area but not a clear advantage overall, will show Detroit’s team defense.
On December 28th, the Detroit Pistons face the Boston Celtics in TD Garden
The Celtics should be one of the best teams in the league again this year. I’m not sure if they got better by adding Porzingis and losing Marcus Smart, but their offense will have improved. The Detroit Pistons need to play a complete game, competing for 48 minutes. TD Garden is a tough place to play, and a competitive effort is something to build on.
I want to see strong post defense against Porzingis. Whether Duren and Stewart get scorched or not, the effort and attention to detail will speak volumes.
Ausar Thompson and Jaden Ivey will need to be at their best against the Jays, and I expect to see Hayes and Sasser take some minutes against Jaylen Brown.
Offensively, we should see Detroit’s improved ability to spread the floor, the outside shooting of Bogey and Joe Harris. Off-ball screens will be key, and the Pistons should move continuously without the ball. To compete in this game, the Pistons will need to show a level of offensive versatility we haven’t seen from them in a long, long time.
It’s not unusual for a team to overperform when playing a top team, and this game might be one of those games. Conversely, it could be a great learning opportunity for a young team growing with each experience.
On January 12th, the Detroit Pistons play the Houston Rockets in Little Ceasars Arena
The Detroit Pistons should be ahead of Houston in their rebuild, and while the record last season didn’t show it, this is an opportunity for Motor Cade to prove he’s a better player than Jalen Green. Ausar and Amen should enjoy facing one another, and Cam Whitmore, who many projected as the Pistons’ pick, probably has a lot of dates marked in his calendar, and this should be no exception.
Houston has an excellent young core, and the additions of Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet should add defense, discipline, and attention to details. That said, Brooks and VanVleet aren’t going to overhaul this team. The young players need time to grow, and while Houston should take a step forward this year, the Pistons should grow faster.
The Pistons have no excuse in this game. They need to win games against other cellar dwellers. Detroit should come out swinging and never ease up.
The Pistons will benefit from the NBA’s expanded slate of nationally televised games. I, for one, will look forward to these new opportunities for Detroit to capture the basketball world’s attention. Each game will be fun for its own reasons, but no reason will be as enjoyable as watching the team grow throughout this crucial season.