Under the Hood - it’s time to see what’s really going on inside this Pistons team.
Firing on All Cylinders
Isaiah Stewart started his second consecutive game at PF with Tobias Harris out, and the double-big pairing continues to look positive when they’re on the court together. Maybe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was onto something back in 2023?
Stew has shot 14 threes over the last two games. Tobias Harris has yet to hoist that many threes in consecutive games so far this season. If Beef Stew is going to play the 4 next to Duren he has to space the floor, but that hasn’t been an issue for him. For those who have been waiting for him to let it fly, it’s happening.
He can play PF or C, or he can start or come off the bench, and he’s still going to impact the game defensively. It’s not a secret anymore that he’s one of the league’s best rim protectors. Whether he’s in front of a defender or coming from the weakside, he’s going to swat your shot.
Yet, his versatility takes his defensive ability to the next level. How many big men in the league are capable of switching onto guards likes this? This is the kind of tape that’s going to get Stew on an All-Defense team this year.
Transmission Trouble
Another game, another disappointing performance from the free throw line.
They finished 13-for-22 because Ausar, Duren, Duncan, and Caris all missed two free-throws, though, Ausar was the only one that had more than four attempts. Out of the six players that got to the line, Cade was the only one who shot above 75%.
This team gets to the free throw line, but they don’t capitalize. Free throws are a cheat code to an efficient offense and they need to take advantage. They currently rank 6th in the league in free throw attempts per game, but they’re 28th in free throw percentage.
The game as a whole felt slightly disappointing. It felt like it shouldn’t have taken another Fourth Quarter Cade performance to put the Jazz away. I’m hoping this wasn’t a game where they tried taking a slight night off due to playing a tanking team. As the second half went on, I thought Detroit had multiple times to put Utah away but that moment never came.
Mechanic’s Note
Ausar Thompson had two very clutch assists last night that reminded me of Draymond Green. These are the kind of offensive possessions I envisioned when we liked to describe him as “Athletic Draymond.”
The first is something Curry and Draymond have been doing for their whole careers, and it starts with Draymond’s basketball IQ. He knows he’s not as much as a threat from deep as Curry so he uses a dribble hand-off (DHO) to get Steph the ball when his defender is sagging off of him.
Ausar is going to be left open at times if teams aren’t going to respect his outside shot, but this is a fantastic way for him to still punish the offense. If his defender is going to leave him open, his defender is too far away to help on a DHO with a shooter. This is high basketball IQ to pass on an open shot to instead get a movement shooter a better look.
Just as Draymond thrives in that secondary playmaker role, Ausar is showing that he can too. Draymond is great at making himself available in the middle of the defense when teams double Steph. Since Cade is now seeing double-teams, Ausar has taken on the responsibility of providing that help. Once the ball finds them on the short roll, their passing ability punishes defenses for leaving shooters open in the corners.