The Detroit Pistons head into today with a chance to test one of the most surprising roster moves of the offseason.
Detroit made its own bet by standing pat on a second high-end scoring option next to Cade Cunningham, banking instead on more shooting and internal growth. That decision comes with risk, especially after the way the Pistons were eliminated from the playoffs last season. But the Boston Celtics may have swung even harder.
Boston traded Jaylen Brown, one of the league’s most dependable players, for Paul George. The problem is that George has played only 78 games over the last two seasons combined, and when he did suit up, he was a shadow of the player he once was.
Another way to view Boston’s move is that the Celtics replaced Brown with a healthy Jayson Tatum and a 36-year-old Paul George, while leaving the rest of a 56-win roster in place. Still, that deal isn’t just about names on paper. Brown gave Boston someone who could create his own shot, and that’s a big part of what the Celtics may now be missing.
That should matter to Detroit.
The Pistons were plenty familiar with Brown doing damage. In his last four games against Detroit, he averaged 35 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He was a difficult matchup and a guy who could score without help, which made Boston harder to manage.
George, meanwhile, looked rusty during the preseason. At this stage of his career, he is not the same off-the-bounce shot creator Brown is.
Boston still has other options in Pritchard and White who can generate offense, so the Pistons will still need to work. But if Detroit can keep those players in front of them and force contested jumpers, the Celtics could be more manageable than they were with both Tatum and Brown on the floor.
It’s worth noting that both teams took unexpected swings this summer. Most people expected Detroit to bring in a splashy addition, while Brown’s departure from Boston came as a surprise.
Today’s game at Little Caesar’s Arena, scheduled for 3:00 PM ET, will give an early look at how those gambles are playing out.
In Other News...
Pistons Opener Hinted At A Change Fans Have Wanted For Years
The Pistons entered the 2026 offseason determined to modernize an offense that too often settled for too few threes, and their regular-season opener against the Celtics offered the clearest sign yet that the message may have landed. Detroit launched 40 three-pointers in a 121-113 win, a sharp jump from last seasons 30.8 per game, and the shot profile alone looked different enough to catch the eye even before the comeback from a 22-point hole.
Duncan Robinson, Javonte Green, Isaiah Joe and Kevin Huerter all factored into the spread-the-floor approach, giving Detroit the kind of perimeter volume fans have wanted to see for years. One game does not make a season, of course, but after spending the offseason talking about the need to improve from deep, the Pistons at least gave themselves a template worth watching closely as the schedule moves on. [Read more 🡒]
John Collins Already Has The Pistons Facing A Tough Defensive Question
John Collins first night in a Pistons uniform offered an early glimpse of both the upside and the problems Detroit will have to sort through. He gave the team some useful minutes with a block and a few offensive rebounds, the kind of activity that can matter in a game where every possession counts. But the bigger takeaway came on the other end, where Collins had a rough time holding up defensively in his new setting.
Detroit tried to work around it by shifting Collins to center, hoping the matchup would settle in, but the adjustment did not really solve the issue. Paul George found room to score against him, and the problem only looked more complicated when bigger opponents came into play, including Mitchell Robinson. For a Pistons group trying to piece together lineups early, Collins fit may end up being defined less by what he can add and more by how they hide what he gives up. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Just Turned Bostons Big Debut Into A Celtics Problem
Bostons season opener quickly turned into a reminder that early NBA games can still say plenty about where a team is headed. The Celtics built a 22-point lead against Detroit, only to let it slip away in a loss that had Jayson Tatum finishing with 13 points on rough shooting while Paul George carried the offensive load with 38 points and also made his presence felt on the defensive end.
Social media did what it always does after a collapse like that, with fans split between frustration at the coaching and player execution and calls to remember how long the season is. From Detroits perspective, it was the kind of result that can travel well beyond one night, because handing Boston an opener like that immediately changes the tone around the Celtics and gives the Pistons an early jolt of attention. [Read more 🡒]