When you look at the revamped Eastern Conference, there are teams that arguably have more talent at the top of the roster than the Detroit Pistons, but there may not be a team that has as much depth.
It’s not just that the Pistons are deep, but the reserves they bring in play with relentless energy which the rest of the NBA is going to hate.
We saw it in the first preseason game against the Suns, when the Pistons’ bench came storming back from 18 points down, mostly on the back of defense, steals and hustle.
The Pistons bring relentless depth
One problem coach JB Bickerstaff is going to have to figure out this season is how to juggle his rotation, as he has more NBA players than minutes.
The Pistons have 12 legit NBA players and that is without counting rookie Ebuka Okorie or reserve center Tolu Smith.
We know coach Bickerstaff isn’t afraid to use a deep bench. He’ll have plenty of options this season and will use them all at times to run teams off the floor.
Even though Detroit lost Isaiah Stewart, they didn’t lose their defensive identity, and we saw it in the second half against the Suns, as the bench came in and got after it.
Nearly every player that checked into the game had at least one steal, and by the end of it, Detroit had 21 steals and eight blocks with 12 players registering at least one steal and five players having more than one.
This was obviously a sloppy preseason game, so the Pistons aren’t going to have that number every night, but every player they brought into the game was going for deflections, diving on the floor and trying to make plays defensively.
John Collins talked after the game about how his new teammates’ defense was infectious and made him want to dig in even more and that seems to be the case up and down the roster.
The Pistons may eventually have to consolidate some of their depth in a trade, but for now, coach Bickerstaff should be leaning into it, keeping guys fresh, reducing the chance of injuries and making other teams miserable with relentless hustle.
And they have the guys to do it, as Daniss Jenkins, Ron Holland II and Javonte Green all play with non-stop energy when they hit the floor and seem to fire up the rest of the group.
We saw Kevin Huerter get two steals, Isaiah Joe and Taurean Prince got in on the action with a steal apiece and the Pistons eventually beat the Suns with superior depth.
This may not work in the postseason, but the Pistons have a regular season roster that no one will want to see on the schedule.
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