It took only a handful of games for the Pistons to make a point about the East.
Detroit has been brushed off for much of the summer while attention drifted toward the teams that made the louder offseason moves. But the Pistons have already beaten three of those teams, and they’ve done it while missing two starters for half of that stretch.
It’s a tiny sample, and nobody is handing out anything for October wins. Still, those results have already put a spotlight on some real problems for a few of the conference’s supposed heavyweights.
Boston is the clearest example.
The Pistons dug themselves into a 22-point hole against the Celtics, then stormed all the way back. Since grabbing the lead in that first game, Detroit has not trailed again.
The Celtics can overwhelm teams when the 3-pointers are dropping. When they aren’t, the offense can get stuck in place.
Boston needs Jayson Tatum to be a superstar every night, and when he isn’t, the door opens. Detroit showed that in the opener.
There were stretches where Boston’s defense looked strong, and the shooting remains a constant threat. But the whole operation still feels tied to the 3-point shot.
Miami has a different problem: not enough depth and not enough shooting.
Even after adding Giannis, I had Miami missing the playoffs this season, mainly because there isn’t much else around him and Bam Adebayo. If 36-year-old Klay Thompson is your starter, you’re in trouble, as I’m not sure he could guard me right now and has started the season with a 150 defensive rating, or roughly what the Generals used to put up against the Harlem Globetrotters.
That lack of shooting makes the Heat easy to game-plan against. Pack the lane, live with the outside attempts, and the offense starts to look limited fast. Giannis may be headed for a 35-point average this year, but Miami still doesn’t have enough support to look like a true Eastern Conference threat yet.
Philadelphia is dealing with a different kind of issue.
The Pistons got the 76ers on the second game of a back-to-back and their 4th in five days, so they didn’t have to deal with Joel Embiid. That matters, because Philly fans are going to have to get used to Embiid sitting out back-to-backs, which leaves either LeBron or Adem Bona at center.
As good as LeBron is, he’s no center. Detroit controlled the glass even though it was missing a starting center itself, and that’s a problem for Philadelphia if Embiid isn’t on the floor. He’s looked good in the games he has played, but when he sits, the 76ers are going to have a hard time holding up on the boards.
It’s still early enough that none of this locks in a final verdict. The Pistons aren’t being crowned the class of the East, and these other teams aren’t being written off. But right now, Detroit looks like the group with fewer obvious flaws than Boston, Miami, or Philadelphia.
In Other News...
Pistons Just Got A Look At A Matchup Teams May Keep Testing
For Detroit, the most unusual part of the early-season matchup was not just the opponent, but the look it got from the other side. LeBron James started at center for the first time in his 24-year NBA career, a matchup wrinkle that came when Philadelphia and Detroit met in a regular-season game and forced the Pistons to deal with a different kind of frontcourt alignment than the one they expected.
Nick Nurse opened with James in the middle, but the experiment did not last long. James struggled offensively and Philadelphia was beaten on the boards, which led Nurse to put Adem Bona back at center and restore a more traditional setup. For the Pistons, it was another reminder that teams around the league may keep testing the same kind of big-small hybrid look, even if the first answer does not always hold up. [Read more 🡒]
Ron Holland Is Giving The Pistons Exactly What This Team Lacks
Ron Hollands night in Philadelphia fit the kind of role the Pistons have been asking him to grow into. With two starters out and Isaiah Joe forced to leave early, Detroit still found a way to steal a road win over the 76ers, and Holland was right in the middle of it with his defense, rebounding and overall activity. He even drew the assignment of checking Jaylen Brown for stretches and handled it well, while also pulling down nine rebounds and adding four assists.
The shot was not falling, but the rest of Hollands line stood out because it spoke to the broader shape of his development. He looked more decisive with the ball and more willing to make the extra play, which matters for a Pistons team that needs toughness and versatility when the rotation gets thin. On a night when Detroit needed someone to do the dirty work, Holland gave them exactly that. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Hot Start Just Put Their Summer Gamble In A New Light
Detroits 3-0 start has given the season an early shine, and it has also made the franchises offseason approach look a lot more practical in real time. Even with Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren unavailable, the Pistons found enough punch to beat Philadelphia, leaning on the kind of internal growth and depth that can sometimes be talked up in July and only proven in October.
Daniss Jenkins was a big part of that against the 76ers, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists while helping steady a lineup that has needed role players to step forward quickly. John Collins has been part of that picture too, as Detroits early success has come less from splashy headlines and more from the sort of contributions that can quietly change the tone around a team. [Read more 🡒]