Under the Hood - it’s time to see what’s really going on inside this Pistons team.
We’ll be starting a new article series this year to dive a little deeper into Pistons games to highlight the successes and struggles of your favorite team. By having a season-long series, we hope to build on our impressions of the players and coaching staff to give you a better viewing experience of the action on the court.
Jalen Duren looked really good and led all Pistons with 20 points. His alley oop chemistry with Cade Cunningham looks like it’s in mid-season form. However, it was his defense that might’ve been the most impressive thing about his play last night.
He was energized on the defensive end, and that started with having active hands on the perimeter whether he was defending on-ball or playing in the passing lane.
I also feel like he’s improving at contesting attempts at the rim. He does a good job in these two clips of trying to keep his arms straight up and avoid jumping into the defender. It happens quick on the first clip, but he jumps vertically to absorb Kispert’s drive while keeping his hands high. He does the same in the second clip, and this is great rim protection defense by Duren.
Ausar’s preseason shooting struggles are continuing. He has been struggling from the free throw line, and his one three-point attempt was heaving this medicine ball towards the rim last night.
Ausar’s inability to shoot becomes an issue when teams disrespect his jump shot, and that’s what the Wizards did yesterday. Khris Middleton was standing in the paint as he was guarding Ausar, but Thompson wasn’t tempted to shoot the open jumper as he returns the ball back to Cade. He tries to get a running start on his next touch, but ends up traveling. This is a spot where his inability to shoot is a hindrance on the court.
With news that Jaden Ivey will be out for at least a month, I want to note that Duncan Robinson started in his place last night, and I think that starting lineup should be expected for Game 1 against the Bulls next week.
Now that preseason is officially over, let’s take a look at Cade’s stats through the three games he played:
* 61.5 min
* 62 points
* 10 rebounds
* 22 assists
* 6 steals
* 1 block
* 22-for-35 from the field (62.9%)
* 7-for-12 from three (58.3%)
* 11-for-12 from the line (91.7%)
If we look at these per-36-minutes, you get a real idea of how well he’s already playing:
* 36.3 points
* 5.9 rebounds
* 12.9 assists
* 7.0 three-pointers attempted
* 7.0 free throws attempted
Unrealistic? Maybe. Guaranteed to win MVP with that stat-line? Yes.
I do think it’s worth thinking the numbers of attempted threes and free throws per game is legitimate, though. Him averaging seven 3PA and seven FTA would both be career highs, and it’s not out of the question that an increase in threes and free throws could take him over 30 points per game.