Pistons Pick Up Wins, Ron Holland, and Amazon Streaming | The Weekly Drive
The Pistons picked up two wins this week, Ron Holland wants to turn the organization around, and Ausar Thompson traveled with the team.
Good morning Pistons fans, and welcome back to the Weekly Drive. The Pistons nailed down their first win of the season, the backcourt continues its hot start, and Ron Holland hopes to help turn the franchise around. Let’s talk about it.
Weekly Game Recaps
Rapid Detail: Another close game that didn’t fall Detroit’s way, highlighted by a dismal fourth quarter that saw the Pistons get outscored 28-19. Cade Cunningham didn’t play well when it counted, shooting 2-11 from the early third quarter onward.
Game 5: Detroit 105, Philadelphia 95
Rapid Detail: The Pistons finally picked up their first win of the season, a pseudo-must-win game against a Sixers team that did not have Joel Embiid or Paul George. Cunningham was the best player on the floor, Tobias Harris had a little revenge game, and Detroit tallied more assists (+6) and rebounds (+12) than Philadelphia. The Pistons hadn’t won in Philadelphia since 2017.
Game 6: New York 128, Detroit 98
Rapid Detail: Well that was a pretty terrible game. Jalen Brunson outscored Detroit by himself in the first quarter and that pretty much set the tone for the next three. The Pistons got abused on defense (killed on back door cuts and failed to defend the pick and roll) and didn’t have the horses to keep up on offense. The margin of error is slim when you don’t play defense and turn the ball over a lot (22 of them, to be exact).
Game 7: Detroit 106, Brooklyn 92
Rapid Detail: That’s a nice bounce-back effort from the Pistons, especially after trailing at halftime. Detroit won big on the glass (47-27), and that ultimately was the difference. The Pistons had a balanced scoring effort as well, with six players getting to double figures but nobody scoring 20 points either. That is probably more in line with what J.B. Bickerstaff wants to see.
Ron Holland, Franchise Changer
The Pistons have a lot of very young players, but none younger than rookie Ron Holland. In an interview with Spencer Davies of Responsible Gambler, Holland says he is excited to “turn this franchise around”.
“I'm just really getting to know these guys, getting familiar with their games and just seeing the brotherhood that this franchise has, being able to build everybody and knowing that everybody's got the heart and the right amount of grit to help turn this franchise around,” Holland said.
Holland had some question marks coming out of the draft, but what is not unknown is his tenacity and fiery spirit. Its visible on the court as we works to defend, rebound the ball, and athletic burst.
Ausar Thompson Update
While another player with blood clot concerns, Christian Koloko, was recently reinstated by the NBA’s fit-to-fitness panel, Ausar Thompson was not - yet. Thompson, who traveled with the team on their road game to Philadelphia, has no update for his return to the court. However, his presence with the team on the road is a welcome one. "Obviously have to be patient and be there for him as much as we can,” head coach J.B Bickerstaff said before the game against the Sixers. “That’s the hardest part of this, the toll that it takes on him. He wants to on the floor."
News and Notes:
The Pistons declined the $4.57 million team option on forward Wendell Moore Jr. for next season per Mike Scotto of HoopsHype. That makes Moore an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Tyus Jones turned down a lucrative offer from the Pistons according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. Jones, who eventually signed with the Phoenix Suns, also turned down offers from the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and San Antonio Spurs.
Starting with the new NBA media deal, Amazon will be airing 60 games per season including matchups on Thursdays, Fridays, and Black Friday per The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov. NBC and Amazon have jumped into the NBA media rights circus, with TNT reportedly dropping out after 34 years of holding those rights.
Week two of the NBA season is out of the way, and the Pistons sit at 2-5 just as they did last season. As we know, the Pistons wouldn’t win again until December 30th. I would guess they snag several more wins before Christmas this time around. What are your thoughts on the Pistons’ start to the season? Let us know in the comments below, and thanks for checking in with the Weekly Drive. See you next week.