The ball was moving, the hands were active, and the shots were going in
You couldn’t have asked for a better start to the JB Bickerstaff era as the Detroit Pistons dominated the Milwaukee Bucks 120-87. The only problem was it was preseason, and the game didn’t count.
The Pistons fluidity, decision-making, and defensive activity were night and day compared to their performance last season, when they won a franchise-low 14 games. Tonight, they were cutting off the lane, they were communicating, and they were active with their feet and their hands, causing the Bucks’ problems all over the floor.
Detroit was led by 22 points from Jaden Ivey, who was also, perhaps, the best poster child for how different a player could look compared to six months ago. Ivey hit his first shot of the season, a corner 3, and then hit two more. He also finished drives in the lanes and mostly made good decisions with the ball in his hands. Compare that to the doldrums of last March when he couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean, he was jump-passing to nowhere, and his defensive effort was negligible.
Ivey started the game for a Pistons team still missing Ausar Thompson (blood clot) and without Tobias Harris (illness). That forced Bickerstaff to run out a starting group of Ivey, Cade Cunningham, Tim Hardaway Jr., Simone Fontecchio, and Jalen Duren.
It was not an auspicious first six minutes. The Pistons were sloppy with their passes, passive with their defense, and couldn’t hit shots. Before the midway point of the quarter, they found themselves down 20-3.
Damien Lillard and Brook Lopez were on fire from deep, and it felt like the Bucks couldn’t miss. Instead of wilting, the Pistons ratcheted up their intensity. Suddenly, they were forcing turnovers, getting out in transition, whipping the ball to the weakside, setting quality screens and finding open looks.
By halftime, the Pistons had clawed to a 60-58 lead. That is when the Bucks decided to rest their starters and Detroit was really able to blow the doors off the game.
In the end, the superlatives were almost too plentiful to mention.
After a shaky start on defense, Duren really settled in. Instead of passive drop coverage, he was much more aggressive challenging the ball-handler and putting his quick hands to use. He also rebounded in traffic well and started a number of transition opportunities as the ball handler. He also eventually found his groove with Cunningham, and was able to feast as a rim-runner. He finished with eight points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
Ivey finished the night with 22 points, and looked like a man on a mission. He wanted to show the staff he could be a reliable scorer, trusted with the ball in his hands, finish at the rim, and give a crap on defense. He checked every one of those boxes.
Cunningham was not stellar, shooting just 5-of-13, but his effort and awareness on defense was also great to see, and when the Pistons finally got settled, he was able to get the team into another gear.
We also need to make room for rookie Ron Holland who was simply everywhere on the court. At one point in the first half, he was a plus-17 despite only scoring four points. That is because he was an absolute terror on defense, his activity level was off the charts, and he never let the ball stick. He finished the night with 10 points, five assists, and six rebounds.
He played so well I allowed myself to think for a brief second, “I wonder if Bickerstaff would start Holland while Ausar is still sidelined so he can get play Thompson’s defensive role.”
Malik Beasley played off the bench in game one, but his defense and quick-shot really juiced the Pistons early when they needed a spark. Isaiah Stewart looked great at his natural center position off the bench, and he helped set the defensive tone after that first big run from the Bucks early.
The team ended up shooting 26 free throws, was plus-5 on the boards, only turned it over 13 times and had a 56-20 advantage in points in the paint.
It was amazing basketball, and I want to see more of it. It was also only the preseason. No Bucks starter played more than 17 minutes. The Pistons played their legit rotation players heavily tonight, though they did limit Tim Hardaway Jr. and Beasley to 15 and 20 minutes, respectively.
The Pistons next game is Tuesday at home against the Phoenix Suns .