Small details are big problem for the Detroit Pistons

For the third straight game, it came down to the wire for the Detroit Pistons and for the second time in those three games, they came up just short. 

There is some good news in all of this: These are not last year’s Pistons. 

Detroit is fighting, playing defense and looks miles more competent and organized than they ever did last season. JB Bickerstaff has to be given credit for the rapid improvement of the defense, which is now 11th in the NBA and 8th in opponent’s points per game, tied with the defending champion Boston Celtics. 

The most encouraging part about this start is that the offense still hasn’t clicked. The Pistons offense is just 25th in the NBA and 26th in points per game. Detroit is 21st in 3-point shooting, hitting at an even lower rate than last season. 

You have to believe shooters like Malik Beasley, Simone Fontecchio and Tobias Harris will eventually return to form, and if so, the Pistons will be in good shape because the defense has been there on most nights and that is sustainable. 

In many ways, we have gotten what we’ve been dreaming about for five years, which is a competitive team that has a chance to be more than a doormat. 

But good teams find ways to win games and bad teams find ways to lose them, and right now, the Pistons are leaning more towards the latter. The final step of going from bad/mediocre to good is executing when it matters.  

It's doing all the small things and taking care of the details that win games, and right now, the Pistons are fine in the macro but terrible in the micro. 

Detroit Pistons: Missing free throws 

I’m not going to lash out at Tobias Harris for missing the front end of two free throws that could have tied the game and sent it to overtime, but I don't think there is a more frustrating way to lose a game.

The Pistons were just 16-of-23 (69%) from the line last night, which is substantial in what ended as a two-point loss. The Rockets (75%) weren’t great from the line either, but they made two more than the Pistons, which was the difference in the game. 

The Pistons are just 18th in free-throw percentage this season, which is unacceptable considering they no longer have 1-2 terrible free-throw shooters bringing them down. 

The worst culprits are Jaden Ivey (72%), Malik Beasley (66%) and Jalen Duren (57%), but last night was on Harris, who missed three including the most important one of the night, unusual, as he’s hitting 88% on the season. 

The Pistons missed several in the 4th quarter that would have been the difference in the game, but it wasn’t the only detail they overlooked. 

Pistons losing the 50/50 battles 

I have to give Houston credit, they played tough, physical defense on a night when the refs weren’t calling many fouls. 

They adjusted to the physicality and the Pistons didn’t, as guys like Dillon Brooks, Tari Eason and even six-footer Fred Van Vleet were knocking Detroit off their spots all night and winning all the 50/50 battles. 

Eason was particularly damaging to the Pistons, as he had four of the Rockets’ 17 offensive rebounds and all of them were killers. 

Second-chance points late in the game were what kept Houston in it on a night when they shot 40 percent overall and just 20 percent from the 3-point line. If you hold your opponent to those types of numbers, you have to get the win, especially at home. 

One caveat is that many of the Rockets’ offensive boards came off long rebounds from bricked 3-point shots, but this is something that has hurt the Pistons in several games, including on the losing play to Charlotte.

On those long rebounds their guards either have to get a body on their man on the block out or have to vigorously pursue the ball.  

Detroit Pistons’ turnovers 

The Pistons had 18 turnovers to the Rockets’ 11, including 10 from their starting backcourt, six of them from Jaden Ivey. 

I’m not going to go in on Ivey, who did have a bad game, but he continues to have problems with decision-making when he gets into the lane. To the Rockets’ credit, they played physical defense on him all night and the refs weren’t calling obvious fouls. 

Ivey got stuck in no-man's land several times when he tried to jump his way out of trouble before he had a plan. He was fine when Cade Cunningham was on the floor, but when Cade was out, Ivey struggled to start the offense. 

The Rockets did a great job not letting him get a head of steam on his drives, but Ivey waited too long to pass out of trouble when it was coming, a product of not having his head on a swivel and being myopic on his way to the rim. 

Last night we really saw the need for a point guard who can run the offense for a few minutes while Cade is on the bench. 

The good news is that your Detroit Pistons aren’t terrible, and it looks as though they will be competitive this season. The bad news is that until they fix these little mistakes, it won’t matter, as a competitive L is still an L. 

That being said, I feel as optimistic about the Pistons as I have in a long time, and JB Bickerstaff has his young team defending with energy and passion. Now they just need to clean up the small things and execute when it matters most.