the pistons can shoot/the pistons are some fouling mofos/stanley umude is a keeper
For the second game in a row, the Detroit Pistons fell way behind early only to roar back in the 4th quarter behind the bench, but this time they were able to finish the job and get their first preseason win over the Thunder.
There was plenty to like about the game, but let’s not get too excited, as the Pistons were down big until late in the game when few of the regulars were still on the floor.
But you have to like the way the Pistons continued to fight and claw their way back into the game. Monty Williams called it a “culture win” afterwards, and though all preseason disclaimers remain, it was good to see the young roster fight until the end.
There was a lot to dissect in this game, and not all things were as they seemed, but I will offer my huge overreactions to the second preseason game.
It’s time to panic about injuries!
This might not be an overreaction.
The Detroit Pistons missed the second-most amount of games to injury last season and are off to a grim start in that department again. They were missing Bojan Bogdanovic and Monte Morris for the second game, but also sat Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, which is far more concerning.
Of course, the Pistons are saying Cade’s injury is minor (tendinitis in his quad) but count me as someone who thinks no injury to Cunningham can be considered minor when you look at the context of his career so far.
This team is only going to go as far as Cade takes them, so any injury, no matter how minor, has to be taken seriously.
Aside from the obvious concerns about missed games, Cade and Duren are missing valuable reps on the floor together, so this is not the start the Detroit Pistons were hoping for. Yes, it’s preseason, but this team has to stay healthy to be competitive, so it’s hard to paint this as positive.
Jaden Ivey has been benched!
That may be an overstatement, as it’s not like Jaden Ivey is out of the rotation, but he is out of the starting lineup and that may not just be preseason mind games.
Even with three starters out with injury, Ivey still came off the bench last night, which tells me Monty Williams is preparing him for a 6th man role.
This isn’t the worst thing for Ivey, who needs to improve defensively and is still going to be playing “starter’s minutes” even if he comes off the bench.
This could be the best thing for him, as he can dominate bench opponents and act as the primary scorer when he comes into the game.
I also think this is how you change the culture from one of losing and entitlement to one of winning and accountability. For the last several seasons we’ve watched the Pistons’ young players rewarded with big minutes and roles that they didn’t really have to earn, as there was no competition. They weren’t benched for mistakes and were often allowed to go through the motions, as the team had no intention of winning.
I’m not saying this necessarily applies to Ivey, nor that his benching is being done as punishment, but there is nothing wrong with asking for accountability on defense, where Ivey has not always given full effort.
This doesn’t mean it’s permanent, or that we won’t see Ivey in the starting five this season, but for now the Pistons appear to be prepping him for a role off the bench.
James Wiseman is good!
Wiseman came off the bench to lead the Detroit Pistons in both scoring and rebounds, finishing with 20/10 on a perfect 8-of-8 from the field.
But I’d pump the brakes on that excitement again.
We know Wiseman can score efficiently around the rim. We know he can be a force on the offensive glass and that he runs the floor well for a big.
But even last night, he looked out of place, lost and confused a lot of the time, especially on defense, where he still plays tentatively as if he is constantly thinking and a step behind the action.
He did dominate at times against the OKC backups, which is a good sign, as a player of his pedigree should be able to do that, but Wiseman needs to show he can stay engaged on both ends against better competition and when he’s not constantly being fed the ball.
The problem with Wiseman is that when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands, he’s often lost. So it was a positive development for the young center, but he still has a long way to go.
The Detroit Pistons can shoot!
For the second game in a row, the Pistons shot a nice percentage from the field, but this time they added the 3-ball, hitting a spectacular 48.6 of their 37 attempts from long range.
They hit over 52 percent from the field overall, a great sign for a team that was worst in the NBA in that category last season.
Marcus Sasser and Stanley Umude were 7-of-9 from long range overall, but the Pistons also got contributions from the veterans who are more likely to be in the rotation to start the season, as Alec Burks and Joe Harris were 5-of-9 combined.
It’s too early to declare this problem fixed, as a lot of this was the fact that Wiseman and Bagley III went 12-of-13, and there were a lot of buckets made in the 38-point fourth quarter when it was mostly deep bench players out there.
But it’s a positive sign, especially considering some of the best shooters were on the bench.
The Pistons are going to lead the NBA in fouls!
This might not be an overreaction, as the Pistons are some fouling mofos. In fact, if you looked at the box score, you’d think Detroit would have won in a blowout, as they dominated just about every category, including FG and 3-point percentage, rebounds and assists.
But they turned the ball over a ton (21 to 11) and fouled the life out of OKC, putting them on the line for a whopping 39 free throws, of which they made 32. The Pistons were 18-of-22, so there was a 14-point swing on the free-throw line.
Monty Williams has stressed poise, but so far his young team has lacked it, as they have turned the ball over a lot and committed a ton of fouls in their two preseason games so far.
They simply have to play smarter, cut down the turnovers and quit biting on so many pump fakes. Seriously, I’ve never seen a team leave their feet so much on jumpshooters. As Greg Kelser pointed out in the broadcast, you aren’t going to block most of those shots anyway, so stay on your feet and force them to make tough shots.
The Pistons led the NBA in fouls per game last season and they are off to a poor start in that area in this one so far.
Stanley Umude is a keeper!
For the second game in a row, Stanley Umude came off the bench to make an impact, scoring 18 points and adding five rebounds in 21 minutes.
He’s hit clutch shots in both games, and most importantly, looks like he belongs out there, which is what you want to see from guys who aren’t likely to be on the roster.
Umude has played the most of any of the fringe guys, and may have earned himself at least a two-way deal in the preseason. The Pistons still have an open roster spot as well as a two-way, and right now Umude is the frontrunner to get that last two-way spot.
As a 6-foot-6 guard/wing, Umude has some defensive versatility and so far he has shown that he can knock down 3-point shots.
The Pistons have gotten absolutely nothing out of their G-League and two-way contracts in the last few years, so it would be nice to have at least one player they could count on to step in when there are injuries.
Umude isn’t going to make the full-time roster, but he could be a guy we see at various points this season depending on injuries and where the Pistons are in the standings.