The Detroit Pistons can only blame themselves for their snail-start in their season-opening loss against the Chicago Bulls. They walked out to the ring and let the Bulls get multiple combinations of punches off before the Pistons players were ready to fire back. It was a lot too late, but that doesn’t have to be a trend.
The Thompson twins’ matchup may be the most intriguing factor of the game narratively (they won’t even guard each other much, if at all), but seeing how the Pistons respond after a sloth-like performance vs. a team with championship aspirations in the Rockets could tell a lot about this group.
When: 8 p.m. ET
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons +6.5
One thing Detroit can take away from its season-opening loss is the jolt of energy it played with in the fourth quarter. Cade Cunningham woke up and was the best player on the floor. That needs to be the team-wide approach from start to finish against the Rockets.
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Houston is also 0-1, but a double OT loss to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder is different than a deflated effort against the play-in mainstay Bulls. It counts the same in the record book, but the process of anything is as important as the results. Forming consistent winning habits against a team with Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün is paramount.
Nikola Vucevic had his way against Detroit. He torched the Pistons from range and dropped off soft touch floaters when it was time to mix it up. Coming into the season, the Rockets game wasn’t circled on the calendar as a stretch big game, but Şengün may alter that thought process this year.
Şengün was 5-of-8 from 3 on his way to 39 points in the Rockets’ opening loss. His willingness to take those shots will stretch defenses if he can maintain any type of real consistency. Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart have their hands full with the Rockets’ point center.
While Şengün brings the ball up and plays the de facto point guard role for the Rockets, Amen is their actual starting point guard in name. He was pretty good overall in the opener. Amen did a lot of the all-around dirty work stuff that Ausar did, too.
More Point Ausar minutes are on the horizon as the Pistons lack a true initiator after Cade. The non-Cade minutes were kind of clunky at times, but seeing what Ausar and Ron Holland are in those minutes is vital, and could pay off at the end of the season. There are real expectations for Detroit to be good, but figuring out the value of every core member is just as important.
Duncan Robinson isn’t part of the long-term core, but he can’t put up two-point stinkers. Teams still stay attached to him when he’s not shooting with confidence, but the Pistons just lost Malik Beasley, who had the greatest 3-point shooting season in Pistons history; they need the production from Duncan.
Kevin Durant is as productive as they come, though I breezed over his name previously. He adds some go-to shotmaking to a Rockets offense that needed someone who could consistently create off the bounce.
Durant wasn’t his usual high-20s scoring self vs a suffocating OKC defense in his Rockets debut. His breakout is coming, but it doesn’t have to be this spot.
Defense drove the Pistons to the sixth seed last year. The effort on that side of the floor needs to be replicated if Detroit wants to accomplish its goals.
In addition to their fourth quarter offensive surge vs the Bulls, the defense in that period was a step above the rest of the game, too. Carry that momentum over to the Rockets game, actually punch them first, and see where that lands you in game 2 of 82.
Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Şengün, Steven Adams
How would you define a successful Ron Holland season?
