My Detroit Pistons Opening Night Starting Lineup
Sure it is only July — but let's talk about what the Detroit Pistons starting lineup could look like in late October.
While still months away from the start of the 20 24–25 season, today I am going to share what I feel should be the Detroit Pistons starting lineup on opening night.
To clarify, this is not the starting lineup I expect New head coach JB Bickerstaff to use in October, but rather the lineup I feel should be the starting group when the new season tips off.
Make sure to comment with what you feel should be Detroit’s starting lineup next year.
G: Cade Cunningham
Cunningham is without a doubt the obvious lock to be Detroit’s starting point guard this upcoming season. With a real NBA-level roster around him for the first time in his career, Cunningham will have the opportunity to run with a lineup that is well-equipped for his skill set.
Although his third year in the league ended slightly prematurely due to injury, Cunningham was playing high-level basketball before being shut down for the remainder of the season late last year and is looking to take the next step as a player and as a team with the Pistons.
The Pistons will certainly only go as Cunningham goes, but with a better roster around him, Detroit will be better than the 14-win organization they were a season ago.
G: Jaden Ivey
I would like to see Jaden Ivey be given another opportunity to start alongside Cade Cunningham in Detroit‘s backcourt. Monty Williams caused irreparable damage to the organization during his lone season with the Pistons, but maybe no one suffered more under his reign than Ivey.
The Pistons invested heavily in Ivey when they drafted him 5th in the 2022 NBA draft. Although he was selected by a former regime, he deserves one more chance to prove whether he can be a core piece moving forward.
He arguably still has the most potential of any player on the team not named Cade Cunningham. If he can improve as a defender and 3-point shooter, while being the downhill threat with elite speed and athleticism, he will be the player Detroit was hoping he’d be when they drafted him.
Bickerstaff has experience building an offense around two guards who need the ball in their hands. He did it in Cleveland with Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. I’d like to see if he can make it work in Detroit with Cunningham and Ivey — and if he can’t — then Trajan Langdon may have to move off one of the two talented young guards.
Here is Bickerstaff talking about Cunningham and Ivey together:
"With Cade’s size and his ability to rebound the basketball and throw the ball ahead, if you got a guy like J-I running the floor and catching the ball going toward the basket and Cade has advanced it to him and now he’s playing with his hips toward the rim, I think he can be a nightmare for people," Bickerstaff said. "It's just about (the right) situations."
F: Simone Fontecchio
One of the few bright spots post-trade deadline was the arrival of Simone Fontecchio. Immediately he generated a budding chemistry with Cunningham and showed why his player archetype was so important for the Pistons.
He is a great floor spacer and an adequate defender. In 16 games with Detroit last year, he averaged 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and shot 42.6% from the 3-point line.
As I continued to build out this lineup, it was important for me to start emphasizing floor spacing around Cunningham and Ivey, and will continue to do so at the other forward spot.
F: Tobias Harris
If there is any other lock to be a part of this team, starting lineup, it’s Detroit’s biggest acquisition of the offseason, Tobias Harris.
Harris hasn’t come off the bench since the 2016-17 season, and that isn’t going to change in Detroit.
The 6’8” forward averaged 17.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game last season in Philadelphia. A career 37% 3-point shooter, Harris will help provide spacing and a scoring punch while being able to hold his own defensively.
Harris wants to help Detroit get back to the playoffs, a place they have only been to once since his initial departure from the franchise in 2018. He’ll be a key cog for them in the season ahead.
C: Jalen Duren
It’s not wrong to say that Duren’s second season in the league was underwhelming. While his scoring and rebounding numbers are mightily impressive for someone so young, his inability to impact the game on the defensive end is a major cause for concern.
That being said, he should still be the starting center on opening night. At just 20 years old, Duren is going to continue to get better. He was never going to be an All-Defensive Team level defender upon entering the league. But in year three he will need to take a serious leap on that end of the court.
Ausar Thompson — The Biggest Omission
I know you’re likely upset I don’t have Ausar Thompson in the lineup. By starting Ivey and Duren, I had to utilize the forward spots to get proven floor spacing on the court.
It was hard for me to do — but it made the most sense in this case. Thompson will still play a major role for this team. The defensive energy he brings and his ability to rebound on both sides of the floor will get him on the court each night.
Unlike last year, several rotation battles are going to take place. Thompson could certainly challenge for one of the starting forward spots. Malik Beasley may be a threat to the idea of starting Ivey alongside Cunningham. Even Isaiah Stewart may have a starting case.
Training camp and preseason will serve as a battleground for these clashes. We just have to wait a few months to get there.