The Detroit Pistons, at least on paper, upgraded their offense this offseason. They'll spend the rest of preseason figuring out how to translate it onto the floor.
There was a lot to like in their 109-107 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday, Oct. 5 – particularly on the defensive end. The offense started slow, and was a key reason they trailed by 19 points early in the third quarter before pulling off a comeback win, capped by a game-winning layup from rookie Ebuka Okorie.
After a full week of practice working to diagnose their issues, the Pistons will angle for a stronger offensive start when they take the floor on the road against the Washington Wizards Saturday night.
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"Offensively to start the game, we can be better," coach J.B. Bickerstaff said on Thursday. "The way that we connect the ball from one another could’ve been better, and make it easier for everyone else on the floor. We made it a little more difficult for ourselves than we needed to. That’s to be expected when you’re implementing something new, guys are trying to figure out the where and the whys of it, and the hows. So it’s to be expected. It’s something we’ve worked on this week and an area I expect us to improve."
The Pistons simultaneously are adjusting to new players and new roles. The most prominent of their newcomers is John Collins, their Tobias Harris replacement at power forward. It was a solid debut for Collins, who finished with 10 points on 5-for-7 overall shooting, 3 rebounds (all offensive), 2 steals and four fouls in 17 minutes.
Their other newcomer likely to play a nightly role, Isaiah Joe, was staggered with fellow sharpshooter Duncan Robinson and scored 7 points in 18 minutes. A career 40.6% 3-point shooter, they should fall at a high rate once again this season for Joe. But they didn't on Monday – he finished 1-for-6 overall from deep.
Collins is a different player from Harris – bigger and more athletic, similarly capable of scoring at all three levels but less likely to handle the ball and playmake for his teammates. It will be an ongoing adjustment as the team learns Collins' tendencies and strengths, but there was a lot to like about his performance. He tipped-in two missed layups, caught and finished a lob from Ausar Thompson, successfully attacked a mismatch on Suns guard Collin Gillespie and later a transition layup right through 7-foot-2 center Khaman Maluach.
"I enjoyed that aspect – the freedom of movement, the ability to push and just attack mismatches and switches," Collins said Monday of his role within the offense. "Just play real basketball. That's something I enjoy doing, I enjoy playing that way as well. Happy to continue to develop chemistry with the guys."
Jalen Duren's absence on Monday was an added wrinkle that the Pistons had to adapt to. Paul Reed started at center, and Collins also spent time at the five. Now more than a week removed from his decision to sign a five-year, $200 million extension and bring his training camp standoff to an end, Duren could make his preseason debut as soon as Saturday.
His return could help the Pistons establish an offensive rhythm sooner, as they shot just 36.4% overall in the first half and trailed 68-50 at halftime. Bickerstaff has teased a nimbler, more-skilled Duren being present during their practices this week, and he has everything to prove after becoming the second highest-paid player in franchise history last week.
Regardless of the offseason additions – including Okorie, who already has made a case for himself as an instant-offense option off the bench – the Pistons will need Cunningham, Duren and Thompson to lead the way in order for them to make substantial improvements on the offensive end this season. Thompson took on a featured role as a playmaker on Monday, and he and Duren will co-star with Cunningham after securing their longterm futures with the franchise this summer.
"We weren’t very good offensively, to be honest with you," Bickerstaff said after Monday's win. "We didn’t execute a lot of the things that we’ve been working on, and some new stuff, so it’s to be expected. You’re playing a different opponent, things start to ramp up. You get to see where you are. I thought playing them, which is a physical defensive team, gave us a good test of where we are and it proves to us that we’ve got more work to do.
"And the great thing is we’ve got time. I know our guys' skillset and talent. So to give us an opportunity to watch it on film, break it down with the guys and then go out and replicate it on the court."
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
Next up: Wizards
Matchup: Pistons (1-0) at Washington (1-0); exhibition.
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10; Capital One Arena, Washington.
TV/radio: TV 20 Detroit; WWJ-AM (950).
Streaming: DaZN Detroit.
Regular-season opener: vs. Celtics; 3 p.m. Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Pistons upgraded their offense on paper this year. Will it translate?
