The Pistons will kick off their season against the Celtics with Jayson Tatum healthy and at the helm. Detroit has seen a shakeup at the power forward position and it remains arguably their biggest defensive flaw, so Tatum can be a huge test to start the season. The Pistons seemingly don't have an ideal answer for Tatum in their starting lineup unless John Collins steps up.
Tatum is a matchup nightmare
After missing most of last season recovering from an Achilles injury, Tatum is now positioned as the unquestioned top player in Boston. The Celtics traded away his costar Jaylen Brown this offseason in an effort to create future financial flexibility. And there are good reasons why they chose to keep Tatum instead of Brown.
During his recent healthy seasons, Tatum has been a perennial First Team All-NBA selection. He's got a versatile game and put up about 27 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists per game two seasons ago. He does all this from a 6'9", 229lbs frame that's too big for smaller wings to guard. His size could be a particular advantage against the Pistons, if it means Ausar Thompson can't cover him.
Tatum's threat is nothing new to the Pistons, who haven't had the strongest defense at his position over the last two seasons either. He's only played Detroit two times since the start of the 2024-25 season, but averaged 32 points per game in those outings. The Pistons can't let him get rolling like that again to start this season, especially with him being such an offensive focal point now.
The Pistons might need to get creative against Tatum
Detroit's first inclination will likely be to use Collins against Tatum, since he's got nearly the same measurements. Collins is also better served holding his own against Tatum rather than flying around the perimeter chasing movement shooters. But if that method doesn't yield success, the Pistons could go elsewhere.
They do always have the emergency option of shifting up Thompson to lock down Tatum. Ausar has done well to guard Tatum in the past on some isolated plays. With Detroit now committing to him on a huge extension, it wouldn't be shocking to see his defensive responsibilities grow even more.
If Thompson can't quite get the job done or his services are needed for different matchups, the Pistons have some bench defenders to throw at Tatum too. Both Ron Holland II and Javonte Green are very capable wing defenders that can scale up for Tatum. Either one would be giving up some size, but they play with enough physicality to make up the difference.
The Pistons couldn't have asked for a better opening-game opponent to challenge their new roster. Tatum will be a great puzzle to solve for both the individual Pistons on the court and their coaching staff.
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