Pistons can finally dictate the matchup with big lineup advantage

The Detroit Pistons had a deep roster last season, but there wasn’t much lineup versatility coming off the bench. 

The Pistons brought in good defenders who offered little on offense, especially in the half court, as they had three guys in Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland II and Javonte Green who rarely looked to score outside of opportunistic moments. 

Detroit only had one style, which was to pound the ball inside and try to get points directly from their defense. They’ll have more lineup versatility than they did last season, when they were often reacting to lineup changes instead of dictating them. 

Next year, the Pistons will have the versatility to show a lot of different looks that will force other teams to react. 

Pistons lineup versatility can help dictate the matchups 

The Pistons didn’t make huge changes to the roster, but they added shooting and more versatility, which should help them create mismatches that will force other teams to respond. 

Detroit will have good size in the starting five but could go even bigger if they wanted by putting John Collins on the floor with both Jalen Duren and Paul Reed. It’s not something I would expect to see a lot of, but using Collins as a jumbo wing would allow the Pistons to get more size on the floor. 

With both Collins and Reed being able to shoot the 3-ball, this is a possibility the Pistons didn’t have last season. 

They can also go small with Collins at the five in stretches, which would allow them to maximize their shooting. 

If the Pistons want to go with a more defensive lineup, they can load up on defensive playmakers and play combinations of Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland II, Javonte Green and Paul Reed. 

Any three of these players would create a lineup of chaos that could be effective, especially with shooters around them who can take advantage of transition opportunities from long range. 

If the Pistons need to get more creation on the floor, they can put Daniss Jenkins and even Kevin Huerter next to Cade Cunningham or even go really small with three-guard lineups that include Ebuka Okorie. 

I expect we’ll see these types of lineups when the Pistons want to push the pace or protect a lead late in games. 

Most importantly, the Pistons can diversify their offensive approach by having multiple shooters on the floor at the same time. It may cost them some points-in-the-paint but should increase the overall offensive efficiency and diversity.

The Pistons made small but important changes to the roster that will allow them to dictate and respond to matchup situations with much more flexibility. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow