Cade is a big guard, and he\u2019s abusing smalls like always. He is an ambidextrous finisher who can sprinkle in tough, skilled layups or power through your chest with strength-based layups.<\/p>\n
This finishing uptick will aid the Pistons halfcourt offense quite a bit. They will need every bit of finishing come playoff time. If their offense can remain average or just above it, that dogged defense\u00a0can\u00a0carry Detroit to early 2000s heights.<\/p>\n
Duncan Robinson is more than a shooter<\/p>\n
Duncan Robinson helps the halfcourt offense in many ways. The spacing he provides is second to none. How he weaponizes his shot is the bigger story.<\/p>\n
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Running Robinson off the 3-point line means you want the 6-foot-7 wing who\u2019s a great finisher to get a lane to the basket. Robinson\u2019s rim volume is low compared to his position, but he gets there plenty for his sharpshooter archetype. He\u2019s not the unconscious get-it-up-at-all costs shooter Detroit has had in the past, but Robinson is an impactful driver, screener, and a plus passer.<\/p>\n
Those three skills work in unison in dribble hand-off actions. Robinson takes advantage of defenses glued to his hip. After he runs off screens with shoulder-to-shoulder precision, the defense is at his mercy. Robinson can fire from deep, drive all the way to the cup, where he finishes 74 percent, or deliver pinpoint passes.<\/p>\n
Bigs eat off Robinson\u2019s gravity and movement. He makes defenses pay for playing him like he\u2019s only a shooter. Wings eat off his gravity, too. Robinson is going to be a crucial piece in the postseason. Detroit needs him to play like the 2023 playoffs version of himself, not whatever these last few years have been.<\/p>\n
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How good can Jalen Duren be?<\/p>\n
Jalen Duren is one of the bigs who eats the most while playing next to Robinson. Detroit is +10.1<\/a> when those two share the floor. That\u2019s a theme for Duren. He has a positive two-man Net Rating with every player on the roster.<\/p>\n Duren\u2019s getting assistance from all over, but nobody makes him. Duren is super impactful in his own right. From competing as a defender to his individual growth as a self-creator, the sky is literally the limit for him.<\/p>\n Young bigs who are poor defenders usually stay that way for a long time, but Duren has shaken off that narrative. Bball-Index\u2019s rim protection grade, which factors in rim deterrence, activity, and disruption in on-ball and help rim defensive situations, grades Duren an A. His value is 10 points better than it was last year.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Duren still has meat on the bone as an offensive player. He\u2019s creating for himself more and more. Duren has self-created 194 field goal attempts compared to 162 last year (PBP Stats). He\u2019s always been a decent passer, and he\u2019s taking boards off the glass and pushing the break more this year.<\/p>\n Not here to say he\u2019ll ever be a point center, but he\u2019s shown some of those skills that those who are that archetype have. With Cade excelling coming off curls and Iverson cuts, maybe Duren can be a hub at his peak.<\/p>\n Peak Duren is so far from now as he\u2019s only 22. This All-Star breakout is encouraging, and his future is limitless. He\u2019s always been an elite lob catcher, that hasn\u2019t changed. But now there\u2019s more than one guy on the squad who constantly wants to throw it up to JD.<\/p>\n Tricky passer<\/p>\n View Link<\/a><\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Those are the types of dimes Daniss Jenkins drops when sharing the floor with Duren.<\/p>\n Jenkins is willing to try any pass, and his handle makes life easier for him. Jenkins keeps his dribble alive while running through the paint. This gets defenders off balance, and Jenkins is throwing pinpoint accurate passes before they can blink.<\/p>\n View Link<\/a><\/p>\n This \u201cnashing<\/a>\u201d move is a staple in Jenkins game. The fact that he\u2019s a threat to score gets defenses to react favorably. If he were just nashing always to pass and never score, defenders wouldn\u2019t help off their man because they know he\u2019s not a threat to get a bucket. You can\u2019t do that with Jenkins.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n He\u2019s eager to throw lobs, and it\u2019s clear bigs loves playing with guards that spoonfeed guaranteed two points. Whether it\u2019s off-hand passes to the corner man or right-on-target dump-offs in PnR play types, Jenkins is going to find the open man.<\/p>\n View Link<\/a><\/p>\n The alley oop to Isaiah Stewart involved Jenkins using a Shammgod move to create space before giving Stew an easy one. That goes back to his handle. Detroit has two strong ball handlers.<\/p>\n Jenkins has several tricks up his sleeve in addition to taking care of the ball. Jenkins\u2019 11.8 TO percentage is a solid mark for someone who handles the ball as often as he does. Jenkins isn\u2019t careless with the rock and is willing to try any pass. Chances make champions.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Insane depth<\/p>\n Jenkins has helped establish the next man up culture in Detroit. The Pistons have won with their All-Stars out of the lineup, and JB Bickerstaff is getting the most from his guys. The Pistons\u2019 turnaround isn\u2019t getting enough shouts.<\/p>\n While tanking and All-Star Weekend fixes dominate headlines, remember the actual game. Remember that Detroit won 14 games a few years ago and now has the best record as we start the back end of the season. This isn\u2019t normal, and Bickerstaff and the deep roster are news.<\/p>\n The Pistons were underdogs in the matchup with the Toronto Raptors before the break. Odd makers or the public thought it made sense that Detroit would struggle without Duren and Stew. There\u2019s sound logic in that thought process.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Paul Reed had other thoughts, though. He was the best big on the floor in Detroit\u2019s dominant win against the playoff-bound Raptors \u2014 not the first time he\u2019s been impactful this year. Reed has stepped up all season when needed. He stays ready. Reed plays every game like it\u2019s his last and is looking to shake up every game with endless effort and thunderous slams.<\/p>\n Javonte Green was an afterthought signing, but he\u2019s contributing to the insane depth Detroit has \u2014 he\u2019s a handsy nuisance and another candidate to put anyone on a poster.<\/p>\n Jenkins has developed into a late-game closer right before our eyes. Marcus Sasser can make big shots. Caris LeVert provides solid play on his best days. Everywhere you look, Detroit has a player who can step in when needed. We\u2019re yet to see what Kevin Huerter can provide as well. There are options.<\/p>\n The Pistons are 8th in bench points<\/a>. Their backups have been game changers in the regular season. Ron Holland is a part of the rabid bench attack, but unlike the rest of these names, he was expected to do so. Holland\u2019s second year has been positive so far, and his hustle remains his game-changing trait.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Hustlers don\u2019t stop<\/p>\n Holland, alongside Green, check in every game as must-see firecrackers. If nothing else,\u00a0something\u00a0is going to happen when those two touch the floor. Holland is susceptible to missing a steal, falling face-first into the hardwood, and recovering to get his hands on the ball in seemingly one motion. That\u2019s the type of motor he has \u2014 Holland\u2019s STL percentage remains in the 98th percentile amongst forwards.<\/p>\n Those brilliant hands allow him to turn defense into offense. Detroit is one of the best teams scoring in transition off steals, and Holland has a hand in that.<\/p>\n Green zig zags on the floor, tagging everyone in sight. Offensively, Green is always on poster watch and has made timely 3s. He is shooting 36 percent from deep, but it feels even better. Green has active hands \u2014 he is top 20 in deflections<\/a> and has not played 1,000 minutes this season. Only he and the Miami Heat\u2019s Dru Smith are in that club. Green doesn\u2019t need a significant amount of minutes to show his value.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n These two Tazmaynian devils will bring energy and pop on the Pistons\u2019 postseason run. A lot of their value is defensively slanted. The Pistons have more defensive monsters who should be locks for league honors.<\/p>\n All-Defense<\/p>\n Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart bring effort and best-at-what-they-do technique defensively. Ausar is the best perimeter defender in basketball. If you told me \u201cpick one player to defend a random superstar,\u201d I\u2019m going with Ausar every time. You\u2019re comfortable with him guarding smalls, big wings, forwards, and the occasional switch on a big is in his repertoire.<\/p>\n Surprisingly to some, Ausar hounds point guards better than those other positions. That\u2019s insane considering his height, but his lateral quickness and instincts are second to none.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Ausar is the best Pistons defender in the passing lanes. He\u2019s third in deflections league-wide, and his film has some \u201cwhat was that?\u201d in there.<\/p>\n View Link<\/a><\/p>\n There\u2019s no way anybody thought Ausar would get back into this play. The way he patiently baits Memphis is beautiful. He blew that thing up and turned offense to defense. That\u2019s a Deion Sanders-level lurk job, and he\u2019s just as good on the ball as he is playing the lanes.<\/p>\n The league honored Ausar with Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month in January. If that\u2019s a sign of things to come, the third-year play-destroyer should be in line for his first All-Defense first team selection.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama (65-game rule), Scottie Barnes, Rudy Gobert, and Bam Adebayo are in the mix for first-team, but Stew should be too if these awards are a snapshot of the season.<\/p>\n The story of this season wouldn\u2019t be whole if Stew were left off both All-Defense teams. Ausar is the Pistons\u2019 most versatile and destructive defender, but Stew is the anchor for the best(?) defense in the NBA.<\/p>\n Nothing is allowed with Stew at the cup. Opponents shoot 42 percent at the basket when he\u2019s there. That\u2019s just a comical number. Nobody else is near that. He defends fewer shots at the rim compared to today\u2019s rim protectors because he is a backup, but there aren\u2019t many better per-minute rim protectors. And at 6-foot-8, one could make the argument that Stew is the best pound-for-pound rim protector.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Everyone else in that conversation is longer than Stew, even though he has a freakish 7-foot-4ish wingspan. His timing, anticipation, and intimidation factor put him in these conversations.<\/p>\n Stew gets challenged at the rim, but the result will never stop him from continuing to man the paint. If he gets postered, he shrugs it off and defends his yard over and over again.<\/p>\n
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