Cade Cunningham and company look to build some early momentum
The Detroit Pistons kick off the season tonight against the Indiana Pacers, and if the team truly wants to build off the positive momentum from a productive offseason and promising preseason, a win tonight isn’t necessarily required, but it would be a big help.
Tonight’s home contest is the most winnable of a pretty brutal six-game start to the season for the Pistons. The Pacers, to be clear, are no pushover. They were a playoff team last year, and will likely be a playoff team again this season. However, between tonight and Nov. 3, the Pistons play the Pacers, Cavs, Celtics , Heat, Sixers , and Knicks . An 0-6 start is not out of the question, but a win tonight at least stems the inevitable dread that can come with an early season losing streak — as Pistons fans well know.
Game Vitals
When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: FanDuel Sports Detroit
Odds: Pistons +5
Analysis
The opening for the Pistons is Indiana’s porous defense. The Pacers ranked just 25th in defensive efficiency last season, including last in opponent field goal percentage and opponent free-throw attempts. They know they are a bad team, and instead of being in denial, they simply try to lean so far into what they are good at, it overwhelms their defensive shortcomings and their opponent.
The name of the game for the Pacers is a lightning-fast play style and prolific offense. They run the floor, and they put up a lot of shots, and they do it without turning the ball over. That is because they have guards they trust — Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nembhard, and a forward in Pascal Siakim who can function as a primary offensive weapon and secondary playmaker.
For the Pistons, it is time to put all that new 3-point shooting prowess to the test. The Pacers will give up open looks, and they will let you run up and down the floor with them. If the Pistons were going to win this game, it would be because Tobias Harris won his matchup with Siakim, Malik Beasley (or insert one or more prolific three-point shooting players) connected from long range consistently, and Cade Cunningham was able to use all the open space to be a dynamic playmaker finding his teammates for easy opportunities.
This is also a real chance for JB Bickerstaff to show the kind of imprint he was able to have on his team even though it will just be game No. 1. It’s too hard to literally slow the Pacers down, but if he can match their speed with an aggressive, smart, communicative defense, the players can turn some defense into offense on a number of occasions. It feels like a great game where whoever wins will be the team that deflected the most passes.
As an aside, because this should be an up-and-down affair, I’m particularly curious to see what, if anything, Ron Holland will be able to accomplish in his first professional game. I am envisioning limited minutes for the young wing, but I wouldn’t discount his ability to do something exciting in that time.
Projected Lineup
Detroit Pistons (0-0)
Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Tim HardawayJr., Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Indiana Pacers (0-0)
Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakim, Myles Turner
Question of the Game
Who will be the biggest bright spot off the bench for the Detroit Pistons in game No. 1?