The Detroit Pistons won 60 games last season before losing in the second round of the playoffs, so they’ve proven they can have regular season success.
They will no longer be judged by that success though, as it’s the postseason that matters now. The Pistons may not win 60 games again next year, and that’s ok as long as the roster Trajan Langdon has assembled is better equipped for the playoffs.
That gives Detroit some wiggle room at the start of the season to experiment and try to answer questions that need answered before the trade deadline and certainly before the playoffs.
Pistons can use the start of the season as a laboratory
Even though the Pistons were the top seed in the Eastern Conference last season and didn’t radically remake their roster (depending on what happens with Jalen Duren), they still have a lot of questions heading into next season that they can use October to try and answer.
They need to use Cade Cunningham more off the ball and as a screener so that he doesn’t constantly have to create offense from scratch. This will not only save some early mileage on his legs but will give the Pistons a better understanding of where that secondary creation is going to come from later in the season and hopefully playoffs.
Ausar Thompson should spend as much time on the ball as possible to get him reps and a chance to seize that role.
Regardless of how the Duren saga turns out, the Pistons need to use John Collins at center some to see if they can run five-out offensive sets in the half court effectively. The Pistons have a chance to get three shooters on the floor around Cade and Ausar to see if that will be a viable option when things slow down, and they need a bucket.
We need to see if certain pairings can work, specifically Isaiah Joe and Duncan Robinson, and Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II. Can the first duo defend enough to stay on the floor together? The second pairing is arguably more important, as playing Thompson and Holland at the same time is a defensive luxury coach JB Bickerstaff has not been able to use yet.
I’d love to see some Cade, Joe, Ausar, Holland, Collins lineups to see if this can work with two shooters.
The early season is the time for the Pistons to experiment. This is not saying they should do so at the expense of winning games, of course, but Detroit has to realize the measure will be the postseason, and they have to be prepared when they get there by being able to play a more diverse style of basketball.
The Pistons earned the right to use the early season to try some weird things, and they should, as these lineups and combinations could be the key to unlocking more postseason success.
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