One of the many things that got Monty Williams fired as head coach of the Detroit Pistons was his insistence on using Isaiah Stewart as a power forward with Jalen Duren at center.
Even though Stewart was shooting more 3-point shots back then, the half-court offense was predictably stagnant with little space around Cade Cunningham. It didn’t help that their best shooters were always hurt (or just bad), but the two-big lineup became one of the symbols of Williams’ failure in Detroit.
After Isaiah Stewart broke out last season as a full-time backup center, it became even clearer that moving him to power forward was a bad idea, so it’s not one most Pistons fans would like to revisit, at least for long stretches of the game.
But they may have to tonight, as they are playing one of the biggest teams in the league, and Stewart will be one of the defensive keys to stopping them.
Detroit Pistons lineup vs. Houston Rockets: A return of the two-bigs?
The Rockets’ starting five is one of the biggest in the NBA with Fred VanVleet out, as they start Amen Thompson at point and everyone else is basically a seven-footer. With Kevin Durant at shooting guard, Jabari Smith at wing, Alperen Sengun at power forward and Steven Adams at center, the Pistons will be smaller at every position.
Earlier, I suggested that JB Bickerstaff might go small at times to try and create mismatches and fast break points. Getting stops is obviously the key to that working, and the Pistons have some tough defensive matchups.
I assume Ausar Thompson will be marking Kevin Durant, and that might be the best matchup the Pistons have. Cade Cunningham is going to have a tough time with Amen, Duncan Robinson against literally anyone, and Tobias Harris will have his hands full with Alperen Sengun.
I do like Duren’s chances against Adams, as he does better against more stagnant, paint-focused bigs and should be able to outrun him on the break.
But if Sengun starts killing Harris, JB Bickerstaff may have to turn to Isaiah Stewart for stretches. If so, he’ll have to take open 3-point shots when they are there, as Sengun is not as good a defender on the perimeter, so this could actually work in the Pistons favor.
It’s going to be a real challenge for coach Bickerstaff, as he has to find a way to deal with these jumbo Houston lineups without giving up too much on either end. I don’t envy his duty tonight.