The Detroit Pistons lost to the Golden State Warriors last night to bring their preseason record to 2-2.
As the record would indicate, there have been both positive and negatives in the preseason, which you would expect with a young team trying to integrate several new players.
The biggest news is probably the play of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey who have both been efficient offensively and putting in effort on the defensive end. Maybe most importantly, they are taking care of the ball, especially Cade, who has just eight turnovers in four games to 28 assists.
It’s hard to gauge preseason at times, as different players work on different parts of their game. We also can’t balance a few preseason games against entire careers of evidence (though I am about to do it anyway) but there are some preseason issues that the Pistons need to sort out before the games get real in just over a week.
#1: The Detroit Pistons, slow starts and big runs
In three out of the four preseason games, the Pistons have come out slowly and gotten way behind before the first quarter was over, the exception being the second game against the Suns when the Pistons dropped 40 in the first quarter to build a double-digit lead.
This was a big problem for Detroit last season, as they were just 26th in the league in 1st-quarter margin at –2.4. To be fair, when you only win 14 games, you are likely to have a negative point differential in all quarters, which the Pistons did, but they were worst in the 1st half.
Detroit’s not always going to get out to a red-hot start, but they have to do something to stop the early onslaught and putting themselves into big holes early. It’s exhausting to try and come back all game, which is essentially what the Pistons have been doing.
This is something coach Bickerstaff has to figure out, whether it is focusing on defensive intensity in the 1st or going the other way and putting his best offensive team on the floor early.
The Pistons are also prone to giving up big runs, as they did again last night, allowing, Golden State to go on a 16-2 run that basically sealed the game before the 1st half is over.
This is another thing coach Bickerstaff has to stop, as Monty Williams was apt to let his team play through mistakes and long runs rather than call quick timeouts. The Pistons are one of those teams that is “in” every game if you just take out one stretch, so they have to figure out how to get out faster and stop that stretch from happening.
#2: The Pistons’ 3-point shooting has been atrocious
This was one area in which the Pistons should be massively improved this season, but so far that has not been the case.
It’s preseason, so guys are still shaking off the rust and, in some cases, pressing a bit, but the Pistons have shot 28 percent from 3-point range as a team in four games, not a great start.
Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart are the only regulars shooting over 30 percent, and all of the sharpshooters have been broke so far. Malik Beasley has hit 6-of-22 for 27 percent, Tim Hardaway Jr. has made 1-of-16 and Simone Fontecchio just 4-of-15. These are three guys the Pistons are counting on to hit shots and eventually they will.
These are players with track records of making 3-pointers, so I am not worried at all about Beasley or Fontecchio, as they’ve had a few rattle out that would flip their percentages with such small sample sizes.
THJ is slightly concerning, as he is not only missing them but appears to be pressing, taking quick shots, most of which were not good ones in the flow of the offense. There’s also the fact that his numbers dropped off last season, so we have to hope this isn’t part of a downward spiral.
Rookie Ron Holland II still hasn’t made one in seven attempts, so it would be nice to see him drop a couple before the season starts, but it is these three veterans that really have to start knocking them down for the Pistons’ offense to be effective, as Cade and Ivey are doing their part offensively.
#3: Slow-starting veterans
I wasn’t expecting the young players on the Detroit Pistons to look the sharpest during preseason but so far, that has been the case.
I’ve seen all I need to from Cade and Ivey, who both look ready to make big leaps this season. Duren has been hit or miss depending on what you are watching, as he is still a step slow on defense but has been getting to the rim for lobs.
Isaiah Stewart and Ron Holland II have been difference makers off the bench, so it’s really just been the veterans who are struggling.
Beasley, Fontecchio, Hardaway and Paul Reed are all shooting under 40 percent from the floor and in the cases of Reed and THJ, they are shooting under 30 percent overall.
These players all have plenty of positive history to fall back on and we can’t make too much of four games, but it’s something to watch as the season begins, as the Pistons need these role players to be good for them to have a chance.