Much has been made of the Detroit Pistons’ lack of power forward depth, but it’s a problem they can solve by imitating the New York Knicks.
The Knicks, like the Pistons, don’t feature a traditional power forward, but instead use a trio of versatile wings, who they can interchange as necessary.
Teams are increasingly going away from the big bruising power forwards of the old days in favor of athletic wing players with size who can defend just about anyone.
The Knicks lean on Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart, three players who can defend multiple spots, to make up for the lack of size at power forward. Anunoby is only listed at 6-foot-7 and is New York’s starting power forward, but as we saw in the playoffs, he can handle defending 1-4 as can Josh Hart and even Mikal Bridges in the right matchups.
The Pistons are the same, as they don’t have a traditional four on the roster, but will instead rely on JB Bickerstaff’s creativity and the versatility of their wings.
Detroit Pistons: Power forwards are a thing of the past
The power forward position has changed as much as any in the NBA and is the strongest evidence that the league is moving towards position-less basketball.
Even the seven footers are launching 3-point shots from the four position, so the days of needing a post bruiser at the four are largely over with few exceptions.
The Pistons are actually better equipped to handle it than they were last season, as they have more size at the wing overall and better defenders there.
Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland can defend just about anyone, and Tobias Harris showed in the playoffs that he isn’t washed on defense either. Harris was able to give Karl-Anthony Towns problems, so he’s up to the task of handling the bigger fours when needed.
The Pistons also have Caris LeVert this season, and while he’s not as good a defender as Mikal Bridges, he is 6-foot-6 and can handle bigger guys on defense if needed. Coach JB Bickerstaff has four big wing players he can move around and mix and match against different lineups, same as the Knicks.
LeVert isn’t as big as Simone Fontecchio, but he’s a much better defender and gives the Pistons more versatility.
We’ve talked a lot about the Pistons making a move for another power forward, but the Knicks have proven that they may not need one when they have jumbo wings who can defend all over.