Do the Detroit Pistons Have A Starting Lineup Problem?
The Detroit Pistons are one of the worst first quarter teams in the NBA. Do they need to make a change to their starting five?
The Detroit Pistons have a problem.
Despite a strong 5-2 start to the 2025-26 NBA campaign, there is a glaring issue that stands out on a nightly basis when watching these Pistons. And no, it is not the lack of 3-point shooting.
Well… that is a problem, but not the one I am referring to.
A major issue for Detroit is how the team starts games. The Pistons are the not-so-proud owners of the second worst first quarter plus/minus in the league. Only the 0-7 Brooklyn Nets perform worse in the opening frame.
In fact, the Pistons had not won a single first quarter this season up until Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Detroit’s starting lineup has struggled to start games off on the right note, particularly on the offensive end. The Pistons average just 26.7 points in the first quarter, the third fewest in the NBA. The two teams worse than them? The Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans — who are a combined 1-12.
The Portland Trail Blazers are the only other above .500 team with a bottom-10 first quarter plus/minus.
Now, this is not the starting lineup that Detroit intended to start the season with — a point to keep in mind as we dive into this issue. Jaden Ivey should be starting alongside Cade Cunningham in the backcourt.
That being said, some speculated in the offseason that Duncan Robinson would be a better fit than Ivey in the starting lineup due to his more natural floor spacing ability and gravity.
In 6 games, Detroit’s starting lineup has a -32.7 net rating in the first quarter.
So far, the starting five has proven to be an offensively-challenged group out of the gate. For reference, this unit has just a 48.6 true shooting percentage.
The Pistons’ first quarter performance improved dramatically once J.B. Bickerstaff’s first substitutions enter the game. When Isaiah Stewart and Ron Holland replace Ausar Thompson and Tobias Harris — a sub pattern that J.B. Bickerstaff has leveraged on several occasions — that lineup’s net rating improves to +61.0.
Injuries have bothered Detroit in this early segment of the season. Besides missing Ivey, Marcus Sasser has yet to play this year. While I have certainly had my critiques of Sasser in the past, I do feel his ball-handling and shooting could benefit this iteration of a team that is sorely lacking in both areas. Caris LeVert is also still being integrated in the rotation, as he has missed three games this year as well.
By no means is it time to hit the panic button. Yet again, Detroit IS 5-2 despite this glaring issue.
But it is something to monitor.
Being as bad of a first quarter team as Detroit is just is not sustainable — at least if the Pistons intend to keep winning games at the rate they have this year.
As more games go by, as players return to the fold, and as the team’s offseason acquisitions become more acclimated within Bickerstaff’s system, the hope would be that the team’s first quarter performance improves.
And if it doesn’t?
Then changes will have to be made.
But Detroit should not be in any sort of rush to force major changes to the starting lineup right now. It is important that the young core continues to build chemistry and learn how to not just play with one another, but succeed alongside each other.
Even after a 5-2 start, the Pistons still have plenty of room to improve. Starting games out on a better foot is certainly going to be a focus for the team moving forward. And playing better in the first quarter could be a lever-pull that helps this team reach a higher level.