It’s difficult to be as bad as the Detroit Pistons were last year, let alone being that bad two years in a row. The only way to go was up, and when you pair that with the optimism that Trajan Langdon brought this offseason, we should have expected a better start to the year.
Obviously we have to be cautious. It was this time last year in which the Pistons were flying all over the place, connecting on alley-oops and thunderous dunks to the point we thought we were in for a fun year. This feels different though.
While Detroit didn’t end up with the win, there was plenty of good that I hope continues throughout this year. Here are my top three.
Veteran Contributions
Gone are the days of trying to get some production from veterans such as Joe Harris and Taj Gibson. Trajan Langdon acquired veteran players who actually fit well with this roster, and still have plenty left in the tank.
That much was obvious before the game even started, when two of the newest veteran additions were in the starting lineup. Tobias Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. were alongside Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey in the starting five, and provided solid play on both sides of the ball. Those two finished the night with 13 and 14 points respectively, and shot a combined 38 percent from three.
When you add Malik Beasley’s 14 points, that is a great sign in terms of taking offensive pressure off Cade. That’s not something we are able to say about Evan Fournier or Chimezie Metu.
Defensive Intensity/Energy
Defense was a calling card in Detroit for decades. Unfortunately, that has been sorely missing for years now. JB Bickerstaff is hoping to revive the defense here, and Wednesday’s game showed that it can happen. The defense against one of the best offenses in the NBA was on point for 80 percent of the game. We saw great defensive efforts from both the veterans and young players alike.
Ron Holland wound up getting more minutes than expected, and provided great energy and defense, with two steals that momentarily flipped the momentum of the game in the first half.
As the game went on, Detroit’s defense definitely began to waiver, but the foundation was there.
Lineup/Minutes Allocation
Going into this season, there were a dozen different lineup combinations that JB Bickerstaff could have gone with. Would Ivey start alongside Cade, and then begin the staggering thereafter? Which veteran acquisition would break the starting lineup alongside Tobias Harris, if any? JB wound up running with the starting five of Cade, Ivey, THJ, Tobias and Duren. His second unit included a mixture of Sasser, Holland, Beasley, Stewart and Fontecchio.
After going with an all-bench unit that would have had Pistons fans rioting last year (even though it actually worked), JB had a good mixture of players. No matter who was on the floor, he had a good amount of shooting and defense. I loved watching each lineup and what they were able to do.
As a side note, JB made sure to sub Cade back in and play the final minute of the half and game so the face of the franchise could make something happen. I loved this minutes move by Bickerstaff.
It wasn't the result that the Pistons wanted but if they can do these three thigns consistently, the wins will come.