Every coach that has taken over the Detroit Pistons has said the same thing: We are going to bring back DETROIT BASKETBALL!
They’ve all made the same promise about building around defense, including current head coach JB Bickerstaff.
Unlike his predecessors, he has backed it up, as the Pistons have improved, but after a three-peat of blowouts, they are back to 17th in the league in defensive rating, not terrible, but far from elite.
Part of the problem is effort, as the Pistons turn the intensity on and off as it suits them and that won’t fly against elite teams that already have a talent advantage.
If the Pistons are going to truly build a defensive identity, then it starts with effort and rewarding the guys who are giving it with more minutes.
Isaiah Stewart
Stewart is only playing two fewer minutes per game than Jalen Duren, and to be fair, part of that is because of his own problems staying out of foul trouble.
Stewart is far from a perfect player, but he gives effort at all times and I would like to see that rewarded with a starting spot, especially considering the Pistons are better on both ends of the floor when Stewart is playing.
We see Stewart change the energy and intensity time and time again after entering the game off the bench, and given the Pistons’ have had a hard time with poor starts, why not have that energy in right away?
Jalen Duren looks fantastic for five-minute stretches but is completely inconsistent with effort. Stewart may get inconsistent results, but the effort is always there.
Ausar Thompson
Thompson’s time is coming soon.
He’s been ramping up his minutes since returning and at some point, I expect him to be back in the starting five and among the team leaders in minutes.
Tim Hardaway Jr. has been fine but he’s the worst starting small forward in the NBA and provides little other than occasional hot streaks of shooting.
Like Stewart, Thompson’s effort never lacks, and he’s the team’s best defender, so as soon as he is ready, his minutes need to double from the 15 per game he’s playing now.
Ron Holland II
Speaking of #5 picks who are coming off the bench in favor of Tim Hardaway Jr., I give you Ron Holland II, another max effort guy playing 15 minutes per game.
I get starting THJ in the beginning of the season, and I still don’t think Holland is ready to be a starter, but his effort and defense should be rewarded with more minutes even if his 3-point shot isn’t falling.
I’d rather watch the Pistons fly all over on defense and try to run with these three on the floor than the alleged spacing that THJ’s 35 percent 3-point shooting provides. Are we a defensive team or not?
Paul Reed
Am I wrong or does Reed seem to make plays every time he gets in the game? He’s not half as talented as Duren, but has a motor that doesn’t turn off and that energy is sometimes contagious.
Would it have hurt to try last night when Duren and Stewart combined for a whopping seven points and seven rebounds in nearly 50 minutes?
Maybe cutting Duren’s minutes to 20 or so a night is the best way to get him to play hard all of the time, with a few more going to Stewart and some run for Reed.
The Pistons’ improvement this season has come because of defense, as their offense has still been bad and is scoring about the same as last season even with all of the minutes for the floor spacers.
They may as well lean into it by rewarding the guys who are doing the only thing that will change this culture, which is playing hard all of the time.