Preseason is a Month Away, Position Battles, and Matt Ishbia | The Weekly drive
Training camp and the preseason are upon us, which means guys will start competing for rotation time.
Hey there Pistons fans, and welcome back to the Weekly Drive. After two weeks off, in which there was very little happening across the NBA, the time has come to start thinking about the regular season. It’s now September, so training camp is right around the corner and positional battles will ensue. The Pistons have a lot of depth, a lot of young players, and a lot of question marks. Let’s get to it.
Training Camp and the Preseason
We are only a few weeks away from the first training camp practice, and just five-ish weeks away from the Pistons’ first preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks. There will be plenty of intrigue as to what the rotation will look like for the regular season. Here are a few notable battles that may be worth watching:
Guards
Jaden Ivey was the subject of trade rumors all offseason, but the reality is that his value was not high enough to warrant trading for pennies on the dollar. The Pistons invested a fifth-overall pick on Ivey, and they will (and should) see what he looks like with actual NBA-caliber players around him.
But he has stiff competition for rotation minutes from said NBA-caliber players. Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. logged heavy minutes last season for their respective teams and have a better-shooting pedigree than Ivey. Plus, new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff tends to lean on his veterans more than seeing if the young guns can figure it out. Ivey needs to show out if he wants to avoid being in trade rumors again this season.
Forwards
The Pistons had, arguably, the worst forward room in the league last season. The new front office rectified that issue by trading for Simone Fontecchio last season, signing Tobias Harris and Paul Reed this past offseason, and drafting Ron Holland and Bobi Klintman with their two picks in this summer’s NBA Draft. Beasley can play some small forward as well, so there are a lot of mouths to feed and not enough rotation minutes to go around. Something will have to give.
I bet that Harris and Fontecchio will start at the two forward spots. Reed has experience as a center as well as a power forward, so he will more than likely be in the rotation as well. Isaiah Stewart still exists and will be a rotation regular. Hardaway Jr. and Beasley will also be in the mix at small forward. Ausar Thompson is incredibly valuable as a defense-first athletic wing and will get playing time as well. Klintman is raw and will probably be in the G League. But what about Holland?
The former G League Ignite star jumps off the page with his athleticism, but his shot-making is suspect. He has the physical intangibles to be a good defender, but the Pistons need offense. The best-case scenario is that Holland forces his way into the discussion by having an awesome training camp and preseason. I am skeptical of that at this juncture.
Center
Jalen Duren was another topic in trade rumors this past offseason, but the Pistons opted to keep him. He will need to take another leap defensively, but the raw talent is there. Reed and Stewart will be around to spell him, but the backup center could be a spot to watch throughout the season. If Duren falters or gets hurt, the Pistons will be thin in rim protection.
News and Notes
Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley are two players that could be flipped at the trade deadline depending on how the first half of the season goes for them, according to the Detroit Free Press (subscription required).
At the time of this writing, the Pistons still have a two-way roster spot available - one of 11 organizations that still have openings. Remember, teams can now have three two-way contracts as opposed to last season when it was only two.
Former Grand Rapids Gold guard (and NBA lottery pick) Shabazz Muhammad signed with the Homenetmen Beirut of the Lebanese league according to Sportando.
The Motor City Cruise has traded Buddy Boeheim and Zavier Simpson to the Austin Spurs for Raiquan Gray according to the G League’s transactions list.
Detroit’s preseason game against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns will be held at Michigan State’s Breslin Center. Suns owner Matt Ishbia was a walk-on and National Champion as a member of the 2000 NCAA Champion Spartans.
Who are you hoping jumps out in training camp? What do you think of Ron Holland not getting a lot of playing time? Let us know in the comments and we may talk about it on the podcast. Thanks for reading and sticking with us. It’s nearly time for Deeeetroit basketball.
Mike