The Pistons’ preseason loss to the Wizards offered a quick reminder of a problem that isn’t going away just because Jalen Duren eventually returns: Detroit is still short on size up front.
With Duren and Cade Cunningham both out, the Pistons were nearly overwhelmed in the opening quarter. Washington came in with a big look, starting Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr and bringing Deandre Ayton off the bench.
Detroit managed to stay even on the glass and actually finished with one more rebound than Washington, but that number only tells part of the story. The Pistons leaned on several non-centers who can rebound well, and a lot of those extra boards came because their shooting was so rough that they had more chances to clean up misses.
The bigger concern was what happened around the rim. Detroit’s offense still found points inside, just like it did last season, but the defense had trouble making Washington feel any resistance near the basket. The Pistons finished with only two blocks, which is a thin total in a game where the Wizards kept attacking the paint.
Foul trouble made the picture worse. Detroit was whistled for 36 team fouls and sent Washington to the line 51 times.
Even with some “interesting” officiating mixed in, that’s an ugly number. Two of the Pistons’ five starters fouled out, and Javonte Green, Ebuka Okorie and Tolu Smith combined for 12 more fouls.
Some of that fits the sloppiness that comes with preseason basketball. Some of it came from Detroit not offering much rim protection, which forced hard fouls to prevent easy finishes. But the larger issue is structural: the Pistons are light in the frontcourt compared with teams that can roll out multiple big bodies, and that showed up again here.
That’s why Duren’s return doesn’t solve everything. He’s not really a rim protector himself, and Detroit still doesn’t have a true seven-footer. That leaves the Pistons with one of the smaller frontcourts in the league, especially after losing Isaiah Stewart, their best rim protector.
For now, it’s a problem that should stay on the radar whenever Detroit runs into teams that play big.
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There were a couple of encouraging notes in the backcourt, though, with Daniss Jenkins and rookie Ebuka Okorie each showing some feel for organizing the offense. Even so, Detroits poor shooting and turnover issues underscored how much work remains if the team wants to survive Cunningham absences in the regular season and keep his workload manageable. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons May Not Be Done After Locking In Cade Cunninghams Core
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Even so, the roster picture does not feel finished. Detroit has been mentioned in speculation tied to a possible wing upgrade, and the teams front office has made it clear enough in recent years that it will keep looking for ways to speed up the rebuild. Whether that means standing pat with the group it has or finding another move to balance the rotation, the Pistons still have a few decisions to make before the roster feels fully set. [Read more 🡒]