The Pistons were punched in the mouth by the Magic in the sole Game 1 upset of the NBA playoffs. Now they must make some adjustments and counter.
Detroit won 60 games this season and earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, a massive turnaround after winning a franchise low 14 games just two seasons ago. Last year was a major step forward as the young Pistons squad tripled their win total and took the Knicks to six games in the first round of the playoffs.
After another surprising leap this season, expectations were high as All-Star guard Cade Cunningham led his bunch into the playoffs, but the first game of Detroit's postseason was a massive disappointment as they fell to the No. 8 seed Magic at home. Orlando skidded into the end of the season, but turned things around in a matter of two games with a play-in tournament win over the red-hot Hornets followed by Sunday's victory over Detroit.
Even if the Magic are clicking at the right time, the loss raises some flags for Detroit, who doesn't have the prior playoff success of typical No. 1 seeds. It's just one game, but the Pistons can't let Orlando take control of the game early like they did on Sunday.
“Just think we came out a little too … I don’t know. Tight, relaxed, whatever the word is,” Cunningham said postgame via The Athletic's Hunter Patterson. “Maybe both for some of us. Just didn’t come out with the right energy, gave them life early on and then we had to deal with that the rest of the game. We were better in situations, but you can’t dig a hole like that.”
The Pistons and the Magic were in similar boats as they entered the season: A young team who reshuffled its roster around a former No. 1 pick in hopes of making a jump to contend in the East, whether that's this year or in the future. Over the course of the season, Detroit proved it had the better team, although Orlando dealt with injuries all year.
Now, the Magic look primed to give Detroit a real run for their money in round one. It's not time for the Pistons to panic, but Game 1 did show some clear adjustments Detroit should make immediately to bounce back ahead of Game 2 on Wednesday. Here's a look at three fixes the top seed in the East could make to punch back against the Magic:
More aggression from All-Star big man Jalen Duren
Jalen Duren took a major leap this season, earning his first All-Star nod while he's still only 22 years old. He averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game over the year as he's looked like the true second star for Cunningham, which was the biggest question that surrounded the franchise as it entered the year.
Duren's first playoff game of his breakout season didn't go so hot. In Sunday's defeat, he had eight points and seven rebounds plus three turnovers, which tied the team's high. He was just 3-for-4 from the field and 2-for-4 from the foul line. Detroit needs Duren to get more looks because an All-Star center can't finish a playoff game with just four shots. A big part of that was how Orlando defended Duren. The Magic cluttered the paint which gave Duren less space to operate where he usually thrives.
The Pistons' only scorers who finished in double digits on Sunday were Cunningham, who had a whopping 39 points, and Tobias Harris who finished with 17. It's easier said than done, but Detroit can't have its second option finish below double-digits in another game over the rest of the postseason. Cunningham is the center of the offense, but he can't do it all. More aggressiveness from Duren could go a long way.
J.B. Bickerstaff must shorten his rotation for the postseason
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff played 11 players in the Game 1 loss. Part of that was due to early foul trouble with Duncan Robinson that forced him to go to Kevin Huerter and Caris LeVert off the bench early, but his lineup wrinkles the rest of the way didn't do Detroit any favors. Shortening the rotation is a tough decision for Bickerstaff as part of the reason the Pistons won 60 games and earned the top seed in the East was due to the team's depth.
Daniss Jenkins was a big surprise for Detroit this year and played impactful minutes all season long, especially toward the end of the regular season while Cunningham recovered from his collapsed lung. Javonte Green was a great signing by president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon and he debatably should have seen more than five minutes in Game 1. LeVert had an up-and-down season, but he knocked down a three early, then only played four minutes the whole game.
Detroit's bench provided just 20 points with no reserve scoring more than Jenkins's six. It's tough to decide exactly who should be out of the playoff rotation, but Bickerstaff needs to make a tough decision that can open up more minutes for the likes of Ausar Thompson and even Isaiah Stewart, who is the first man off the bench. Both Thompson and Stewart are top-tier defenders across the league and each should get a heavier workload to give Orlando a taste of its own medicine.
Allow Ausar Thompson to finish games
As mentioned, Thompson needs more minutes over the postseason. In Game 1, he played 25 minutes and only three in the fourth quarter where he was subbed out for the last time with five minutes left in an eight-point game.
Thompson was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year honors, an award which Victor Wembanyama won unanimously on Monday. Detroit's third-year wing is a top perimeter defender in the NBA and there's no reason to keep him off the floor at the end of games. Thompson is a net negative offensively, which puts Bickerstaff in a pickle, but how he impacts the game defensively entirely outweighs the concerns on offense.
Keeping Thompson out has been a trend for Detroit. This season, he averaged 6.4 minutes per game in fourth quarters, which is the least of any other quarter. Jenkins, Huerter and Green all averaged more fourth-quarter minutes than Thompson. He becomes extension eligible this offseason and if Detroit wants to give him the bag, it's hard to believe that the franchise would want to keep him off the floor in crunch time. Thompson is the type of defender that should see at least 30 minutes a night in the playoffs. We'll see if Bickerstaff tweaks how he manages Thompson in Game 2.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Three Adjustments the Pistons Should Make to Get Back on Track After Magic's Game 1 Upset.
