It’s fair to say the Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic are off to uneven starts. Detroit has been a tick better than the Magic, but neither team wanted to get off to a start like this.
Detroit’s best player is dealing with intensified pressure, and the Magic seem to have lost their positive identity based on their poor start. Their negative identity remains true even with their offseason addition. The Magic are dealing with their struggles, but the Pistons are struggling just as much in the halfcourt offensively.
Both young Eastern Conference teams are searching for consistency. It’s early in the year, but establishing dominance against a foe who will be in the way for the foreseeable future is ideal.
When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons +1
Monday’s showing was unacceptable. The second quarter Pistons drought took them out of the game early. Players have to make plays when Cade Cunningham is facing heavy gap coverage. The offensive struggles won’t improve if open players can’t capitalize on the advantages Cade has created.
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Cade needs to be better, too. Some say the Knicks series exposed a weakness in his game. Pressing up on him with multiple bodies equals more turnovers and a flustered Cade.
That’s the case for most players, but Cade is good enough to figure it out. He didn’t get the help he needed against the Cavs, but it starts with him. He has to be better. Cade is a superstar, and a lot is expected of him.
Cade is smart enough to adjust to the coverages he’s seeing. More shot-making and quicker decisions to get to his spot are a start for Cade to get back rolling. The superstition in me believes Cade will get back on track when he takes those braids out of his head.
While the Pistons’ offense has been stuck in the mud, the Magic’s offense is drowning in quicksand.
Orlando traded for Desmond Bane over the offseason, believing he’d fix their offensive woes/spacing. He hasn’t delivered yet, and the team as a whole is still ice cold from deep.
Orlando’s offensive deficiencies are well-documented dating back to the 2010s (2012 was the last time Orlando had a top 12 offense per Cleaning The Glass), but their early-season struggles on defense are surprising.
The Magic could always hang their hats on a blue-collar defense to carry them, but their opponents have scored 123, 111, 110, and 136 points against a Magic defense that was top two last year.
Their defensive personnel gives one confidence that they can turn it around, but they cannot keep players in front of them to start the year.
That bodes well for a Pistons team that needs a jolt after that Cavalier beat down. I’m sure Cade will see similar coverage all year, so when he gets off the ball, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Ron Holland, Duncan Robinson, Jalen Duren, and even Isaiah Stewart need to be prepared to go to work. Blow by your defender, who is probably in scramble mode, and take some pressure off the young superstar.
Orlando’s superstar is always under scrutiny due to his shot diet. Paolo Banchero is a senior playing little league football when he drops his shoulders and is determined to get to the basket. I love versatile shot-making, but he lets defenses off the hook too much when he settles.
It’s an interesting matchup coming Paolo’s way tonight. I usually highlight who Ausar is guarding because he takes the toughest matchups and is arguably the best perimeter defender in the league. The Magic might be one of the few teams that sees Ausar opposite the other teams’ best player because of Paolo’s archetype.
Paolo could easily get Ausar (if he plays tonight) in foul trouble early if he is playing bully ball, because we know Ausar won’t back down from that challenge.
Ausar may be matched up with Franz Wagner (who folks argue is Orlando’s real best player). Wagner is a jumbo do-it-all forward with an extensive scoring bag. It’s not a walk-in-the-park matchup for Ausar, but it’ll be fun seeing him take on another young, dynamic wing.
Harris could see Paolo minutes as he has the size and physicality to absorb some of Paolo’s blows. Karl Anthony-Towns found out the hard way that Harris isn’t a pushover on the other side of the floor last postseason.
Jalen Duren dominated the Celtics on Sunday but was pretty quiet against a gigantic Cavaliers lineup. He needs a bounce back against some good competition, and the Magic bigs will test him. He’s taken 12,4,12, and 5 shots in the first four games, respectively. We need those attempts closer to 10 than 5.
Duren’s aggression will aid Detroit, but they need their ball handlers back. Caris LeVert and Marcus Sasser are questionable with hamstring and hip issues. Detroit needs them back immediately.
But if they’re unable to go, I need to see Cade be the superstar he is and overcome these gap coverages. Again, he’s good enough to figure it out.
Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson (Questionable: illness), Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.
Who’s going to be the Pistons player to break this cold streak from 3?
