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The 2-8 Detroit Pistons roll into town for the first game of a home back-to-back. The Pistons’ wins have come against the Rockets (1-10) and the Magic (3-9). That pretty much tells you where the Pistons are at. I could probably end the post right here.
In a nutshell the Pistons are an average defensive team and a horrible offensive team. They are last in points scored per game (96.6), last in effective field goal percentage, last in 3-point shooting percentage, 29th in 2-point shooting percentage, and 26th in assists per possession. They appear to be ball hogs who are awful shooters. I've had a lot of teammates in pickup games who fit that description.
The only thing they do well offensively is rebound. They rank 10th in offensive rebound percentage so the Cavs will have to box out after all those missed shots.
Jeremi Grant is their leading scorer at 18.7 ppg, but he’s shooting only 40.6% from the field and 31.4% on 3’s. Saddiq Bey is their next highest scorer at 13.4 points on an abysmal 38.4% and 27.9%. Rookie #1 overall pick Cade Cunningham is shooting 28.4% overall and 22.2% on 3’s. These guys should be made to join the local bricklayer’s union.
As a team the Pistons are abusing the rims at a rate of 39.8% from the field and 28.5% on 3’s. Defensively the Cavaliers are up to 9th on opponents’ effective FG%, so this shapes up to be a low scoring game for the Pistons; the league's worst offense against a top 10 defense with the offense playing on the road.
Defensively the Pistons are not bad, ranking 14th in scoring. They are 5th in points in the paint allowed and lead the NBA in opponents’ shooting percentage from within five feet of the rim at 54.9%. This will be an interesting matchup with Allen and Mobley wanting to attack the rim. If Garland comes down the lane he should be ready to put up a floater.
The Pistons are 6th in defensive rebound percentage so I don’t expect too many Cavalier put-backs. The Pistons are 10th in block percentage and steals per possession, so the Cavs need to protect the ball and be ready for layups to be swatted. Where the Pistons are really vulnerable on defense is the 3-point shot, where they rank last, allowing opponents to shoot 41.7% from deep. Garland, Cedi, Windler, and Rubio could have big games from the 3-point line tonight.
The Pistons will foul you, ranking 21st in opponents’ free throws per possession. They are clearly an aggressive defense, ranking high in steals and blocks but also committing more fouls than average.
Their starting center is 20-year-old Isaiah Stewart, 6’8”, 250 pounds. He only plays 23 minutes per game, but Allen will have a big height advantage and should be able to shoot his jump hook without worrying about getting it blocked. Obviously Stewart will be shoving Allen away from the rim and hopefully that will get called. The only other center on their roster is a rookie taken with the #52 pick. He averages 8 minutes a game in five games so normally they play 17-25 minutes without a center. I don't know how they get away with that against the Cavs.
The Pistons have a lot of height on the perimeter. Grant is 6’8”, Bey 6’7”, Cunningham 6’6”, and point guard Killian Hayes 6’5”. I don’t know why they are so bad at defending the 3-point shot. Backup power forward Kelly Olynyk is out for a couple of weeks with a knee sprain. He's 6'11" and averages 23 minutes to that will affect their ability to counter the Cavs' height on the front line.
The Pistons' bench looks extremely weak, averaging 6.7, 6.2, 8.5, 8.0, and 3.2 points per game. None of them are shooting better than 42% from the field. Killian Hayes is their best 3-point shooter at 37% and with Olynyk out the next best is Grant at 31%.
The winning formula for the Cavs seems to be playing their normal lockdown defense and holding the Pistons to well below their season average of 96 points while taking advantage of playing at home with a day off to knock down a lot of 3’s. They need to be careful of committing turnovers (Pistons are 10th in steals) and be aware of the Pistons’ outstanding rim protection. There should be plenty of open 3’s and the Cavs need to knock them down because offensive rebounds will be hard to find and the Pistons defend the paint very well.
In a nutshell the Pistons are an average defensive team and a horrible offensive team. They are last in points scored per game (96.6), last in effective field goal percentage, last in 3-point shooting percentage, 29th in 2-point shooting percentage, and 26th in assists per possession. They appear to be ball hogs who are awful shooters. I've had a lot of teammates in pickup games who fit that description.
The only thing they do well offensively is rebound. They rank 10th in offensive rebound percentage so the Cavs will have to box out after all those missed shots.
Jeremi Grant is their leading scorer at 18.7 ppg, but he’s shooting only 40.6% from the field and 31.4% on 3’s. Saddiq Bey is their next highest scorer at 13.4 points on an abysmal 38.4% and 27.9%. Rookie #1 overall pick Cade Cunningham is shooting 28.4% overall and 22.2% on 3’s. These guys should be made to join the local bricklayer’s union.
As a team the Pistons are abusing the rims at a rate of 39.8% from the field and 28.5% on 3’s. Defensively the Cavaliers are up to 9th on opponents’ effective FG%, so this shapes up to be a low scoring game for the Pistons; the league's worst offense against a top 10 defense with the offense playing on the road.
Defensively the Pistons are not bad, ranking 14th in scoring. They are 5th in points in the paint allowed and lead the NBA in opponents’ shooting percentage from within five feet of the rim at 54.9%. This will be an interesting matchup with Allen and Mobley wanting to attack the rim. If Garland comes down the lane he should be ready to put up a floater.
The Pistons are 6th in defensive rebound percentage so I don’t expect too many Cavalier put-backs. The Pistons are 10th in block percentage and steals per possession, so the Cavs need to protect the ball and be ready for layups to be swatted. Where the Pistons are really vulnerable on defense is the 3-point shot, where they rank last, allowing opponents to shoot 41.7% from deep. Garland, Cedi, Windler, and Rubio could have big games from the 3-point line tonight.
The Pistons will foul you, ranking 21st in opponents’ free throws per possession. They are clearly an aggressive defense, ranking high in steals and blocks but also committing more fouls than average.
Their starting center is 20-year-old Isaiah Stewart, 6’8”, 250 pounds. He only plays 23 minutes per game, but Allen will have a big height advantage and should be able to shoot his jump hook without worrying about getting it blocked. Obviously Stewart will be shoving Allen away from the rim and hopefully that will get called. The only other center on their roster is a rookie taken with the #52 pick. He averages 8 minutes a game in five games so normally they play 17-25 minutes without a center. I don't know how they get away with that against the Cavs.
The Pistons have a lot of height on the perimeter. Grant is 6’8”, Bey 6’7”, Cunningham 6’6”, and point guard Killian Hayes 6’5”. I don’t know why they are so bad at defending the 3-point shot. Backup power forward Kelly Olynyk is out for a couple of weeks with a knee sprain. He's 6'11" and averages 23 minutes to that will affect their ability to counter the Cavs' height on the front line.
The Pistons' bench looks extremely weak, averaging 6.7, 6.2, 8.5, 8.0, and 3.2 points per game. None of them are shooting better than 42% from the field. Killian Hayes is their best 3-point shooter at 37% and with Olynyk out the next best is Grant at 31%.
The winning formula for the Cavs seems to be playing their normal lockdown defense and holding the Pistons to well below their season average of 96 points while taking advantage of playing at home with a day off to knock down a lot of 3’s. They need to be careful of committing turnovers (Pistons are 10th in steals) and be aware of the Pistons’ outstanding rim protection. There should be plenty of open 3’s and the Cavs need to knock them down because offensive rebounds will be hard to find and the Pistons defend the paint very well.
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