The Detroit Pistons will enter tonight’s first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks as heavy underdogs.
Even though they’ve been the best story in the NBA this season, few are giving the Pistons more than a puncher’s chance against the Knicks.
The focus of the Pistons’ chances has been on Cade Cunningham and rightfully so, as Cade has torched the Knicks this season, something they will certainly account for when making their defensive gameplan.
It can’t be all Cade, someone else on the Pistons is going to have to step up and it’s been a different guy all year for Detroit.
The Pistons will need solid production from veterans like Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley, but also have a few question marks that will be X-Factors offensively in this series.
What if Jaden Ivey comes back?
Let’s start with the least likely one, though Ivey has been ramping up his conditioning for a possible return this season.
Even if he did come back, Ivey is not going to play big minutes and working him back into the rotation and game shape after a three-month absence would be tricky.
But if the Pistons could get 10-15 minutes a game out of him? Who knows, Ivey could provide a spark off the bench and be the difference in a game.
His return in this series is highly unlikely, but he is looming.
What if Ausar Thompson or Ron Holland II get hot?
It’s doubtful either of these guys are going to start launching and making a bunch of threes suddenly after being bad from long range all season.
But we know the Knicks are going to dare them to shoot and they will have to take advantage by either knocking down open looks or attacking space and the rim off the bounce.
The Pistons don’t count on Thompson and Holland for much offense, but if the Knicks are going to leave them wide open, the Pistons have to make them pay.
We know Ron Holland is not afraid to shoot, and he’ll get his chances in whatever minutes he gets off the bench. Could he knock down 3-4 from long range in a game? Any 3-pointers the Pistons get from this duo will be gravy but could end up being the difference in a close game.
For the Pistons to pull off the upset, they’ll need a big game or two offensively from one of their wings, regardless of how they get the points.
Can Jalen Duren dominate the Knicks?
Most of the focus has been on Duren’s defense entering this series, as the Knicks present tough matchups with either Karl-Anthony Towns or Mitchell Robinson, guys who have given Duren trouble in the past.
The Pistons have a number of options for defending KAT depending on how the Knicks use him and none of them are great for Detroit, so KAT is going to be a problem.
But Duren presents problems of his own at the other end and will have to make the Knicks feel his presence. That means running the floor hard and making the Knicks’ bigs work to keep up with him.
That means getting on the offensive glass and not allowing KAT to dominate the boards defensively, which he has against the Pistons this season.
Duren needs to attack the rim every chance he gets to force KAT to protect it, to make the Knicks pay for going with three wings.
Duren can offset some of his defensive shortcomings by being big on the other end, attacking the glass and forcing KAT to be a two-way center.
We know the Pistons need Cade Cunningham to be great to have a chance, but they will also need contributions from unexpected places to pull off the first-round upset.