Positive and negative overreactions to Pistons preseason loss

Isaiah Stewart is not a starting power forward!

Again, too early to tell on this one, but the early returns were not promising. Beef Stew did play decent defense at times, especially when he was matched up against other bigs. He ended with three blocks and was really acting as the quarterback on defense at times.

But he also had trouble switching on the perimeter, picking up two early fouls when he closed out recklessly and fouled jump shooters, giving the Suns free points.

And he looked very uncomfortable on offense. He’s still bobbling the ball a lot of the time, which turned open looks into contested shots. Though he shot 50 percent overall, he was only one of six from 3-point range, and some of the misses were total bricks.

I’m not giving up on Beef Stew, as he does a lot things well, but you have to wonder if his shooting will ever be enough to attract defenders and whether he can handle smaller players on the perimeter without fouling.

A healthy Marvin Bagley III is miles better than James Wiseman!

This may not be an overreaction.

MBIII entered the game last night and promptly caught two lobs for easy dunks and just kept going from there. He finished the game with 25 points and was the biggest reason the Pistons were able to come back late in the game.

It should be noted that he did most of this against the Suns’ deep bench, including the helpless Bol Bol, but Bagley III showed what he can do well, which is score at a high rate around the rim. Monty Williams also gave him credit for being vocal on defense, though MBIII certainly had some lapses in that area.

But they were nothing compared to James Wiseman, who just looked completely lost on both ends. Wiseman turned the ball over pretty much every time he touched it, as he is a black hole on offense from which the ball does not emerge. Three times he tried to back guys down in the post, got doubled and gave up the ball, which is the exact opposite of the quick ball movement Monty Williams promotes in his offense.

Bagley III is a limited player with flaws, but at least he makes quick decisions with the ball, moves assertively towards the basket and tries to finish with authority.

I’m still not sure what James Wiseman can do. It was hard to watch that last night and not come away with the idea that MBIII should be the backup center. Bagley III looked pissed that this is even a discussion and reminded people that he is a force on offense when he’s healthy.