DETROIT -- The preseason is long over now, with the NBA set to tip-off the regular season on Tuesday. The Detroit Pistons won’t open their regular season until Wednesday, though, so there has been a few days of practice for them to iron out the kinks.
They have plenty of good pieces that will play a big role in the plans of head coach Dwane Casey. With several injuries though, the Pistons didn’t get the chance to look at how everything will fit. Even with the absence of top overall pick, Cade Cunnigham, Casey and his staff were able to gather a general idea of how they could plug him into their rotation.
There is just one more day before the Pistons host the Chicago Bulls, so here are some tidbits that we learned from the preseason.
Josh Jackson adds some glue: The Pistons have found someone who could be a solid connector between their starting and bench units. Josh Jackson had a strong preseason, which made a convincing argument for his spot in the team’s rotation.
He showed plenty of growth over the four games and a willingness to create opportunities for his teammates. He approached this season with a different mindset after conversations with Pistons’ top brass this summer.
In the first two games, Jackson came off the bench and provided stability in his first minutes of action. He scored seven points in his first six minutes and pulled down to rebounds to help get the Pistons out to a 39-26 lead over the San Antonio Spurs.
He did it too when the Pistons faced the Memphis Grizzlies, though the end results were very different. When the Pistons bumped him to the starting lineup, it was the same thing. Then the performance of the bench unit slightly fell off in the final two preseason games with the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers taking advantage in the second half.
“He’s definitely in the rotation with the way he’s played and played with confidence, defending without fouling. I thought he did a good job of playing under control,” Casey said following Friday’s exhibition game.
“His growth has been fantastic throughout the training camp and in the exhibition games. It’s good to see his growth, but he’s definitely a part and we’ll figure out where he fits in the rotation, but he’ll be a big part of our plan.”
Cutting down on mental lapses
Heading into the preseason, Casey praised the second unit for the experience it would bring off the bench. The presumptive starters are Killian Hayes, Cunningham, Saddiq Bey, Jerami Grant and Isaiah Stewart, leaving the average years of experience at 2.2 years.
That experience showed throughout training camp with the bench unit consistently beating the starters in practice. By the preseason opener and the open practice, the second unit’s strength was undeniable.
But in the last two preseason games, some cracks began to show as they allowed opposing teams to close leads in the second half. The Pistons gave up an eight-point lead in the third quarter against the Knicks, by allowing Julius Randle to get into a rhythm. In the preseason finale, it allowed the 76ers to come within four points before Casey turned to four of his starters to re-establish control.
So Detroit went back to the drawing board to remind itself of the consistency it needs every game day.
“You have to be mentally prepared,” Casey said. “Whether you just come into the game, been out of the game, going back in. Because if you turn it off and play with the scoreboard, it always nips you in the behind. So you got to be ready, gotta stay ready, and even being a veteran group that, even more so they know better. "
Cade Cunningham’s presence highly anticipated
The top overall pick missed all of the preseason due to an ankle injury and it has had a bit of an impact on some of the Pistons’ planning heading into the regular season.
Cunningham is expected to be one of Detroit’s starters this season. But with limited practice time during training camp, the Pistons don’t want to rush him into a game situation.
When Cunningham does return though, he should have a near-immediate, if not immediate impact. Fans caught a glimpse of it at Summer League. Now with Grant and Stewart in the starting five, Cunningham will have plenty of offensive options who can take advantage of his dimes.
In Cunningham, the Pistons will have another scorer, who can give them shots from distance. It’ll allow them to have more space for other guys to get to the rim or knock shots down from distance.
“Some of the things are built toward having two guards in quasi point guards in the lineup we can play,” Casey said. “We’ve done a couple of things like that but a little bit different once he gets back and kind of have that when he comes in.”
The Pistons will continue to play physically
Minus the second preseason game of the season, the Pistons returned to the court with the intensity and physicality that drew notice last year. Detroit carved out a reputation of not making things easy for their opponent when the ball tipped off.
It’s something it has striven when it began its restoration one year ago.
Through their four preseason games, the Pistons averaged 6.3 blocks per game, which was good for 10th through exhibition period.
Their intensity was on full display in the final two preseason games against the Knicks and 76ers. In both games, Detroit used their defense to build leads by scoring off of some of their opponents’ turnovers. They were better at getting back into transition too, which was something they had a little trouble with in their first two games.
Most importantly, they were more competitive on the boards, which again, created more opportunity for them to score.
The next step is for the Pistons to consistently play with that intensity to keep games competitive throughout the regular season.
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