The Detroit Pistons have started the season with three losses, and though there have been some positives, there are also concerns emerging.
They’ve been consistently inconsistent, especially on the defensive end and from behind the 3-point line, where it has been feast or famine.
We saw the potential of the Pistons’ defense in the second half against Boston, where Detroit was dialed in and took over the game with consistent effort and stops. The problem was they forgot to show up in the first half and the Pistons aren’t nearly good enough to only give defensive energy in one half after they are already down 20 points.
Center play has been an area of focus for the Pistons, and neither Jalen Duren nor Isaiah Stewart have given them complete games so far this season, which brings up some uncomfortable questions, the first being, are these two good enough?
#1: Is Jalen Duren good enough defensively?
The answer to that so far this season has been no.
Duren has averaged a block a game so far in the first three, and we have seen flashes of better defense, especially around the rim.
But he’s been bad in space and was again against the Celtics, allowing Al Horford to go off early and give the Celtics a big cushion.
He was a little better against Boston, but let’s be frank, the Pistons were a better team defensively when he was off the floor and that has been the case all season.
The Pistons have been –28 with Duren on the floor this season and he drags the entire starting five with him, as they all have a negative on/off when he’s on the floor and a positive one when he isn’t.
It’s no coincidence that Stewart was on the floor when the Pistons made the bulk of their comeback against Boston, but he has questions of his own.
#2: Is Isaiah Stewart good enough offensively?
Stewart has been far from the stretch five we were hoping he would be, at least so far.
Part of this is that he’s been in foul trouble every game that has limited his minutes. Stewart plays all out with energy but he has to pick and choose his spots a little better.
He improved against Boston, picking up most of his fouls late but he’s only managed 15 minutes per game.
And because Stewart isn’t shooting from long range (he’s yet to make one this season) the Pistons are more or less playing four on five offensively, as Stewart offers little else on that end.
He has terrible hands, has a hard time handling passes, especially in traffic and can’t do much with the ball.
Stewart has been the better defender, but it’s hard to have players on the court who are no threat to score, especially if the Pistons are going to play Stewart with rookie Ron Holland.
#3: Which center gives the Pistons a better chance to win?
Right now, that answer is clearly Stewart, as the Pistons have been –28 overall with Duren on the floor and +13 with Beef Stew.
The issue is that Stewart hasn’t been on the floor that much because of his egregious fouling and the fact that he’s tough to keep in there late when the team needs a bucket, as the other team doesn’t have to guard him.
The numbers tell the tale, as Stewart has a 99 defensive rating, which would lead the NBA if he had played enough minutes, while Duren is sitting at 121.
Stewart has a net rating of 13.5 this season while Duren is sitting at –13.6, so it hasn’t really been close, though Duren has played far more minutes.
After last game, JB Bickerstaff may have to make some changes, starting with splitting the minutes more evenly between Stewart and Duren, but that can only happen if Beef Stew doesn’t get into foul trouble early.
But this all circles back to the original question, which is, are these two good enough, and right now the answer is, I don’t know, but it doesn’t look good.