The Detroit Pistons got the 2025-26 season started on the right foot, winning their first preseason game 128-112 against the Memphis Grizzlies. It started out ugly for the Pistons, plagued by turnovers and a Grizzlies team that could not miss.
Eventually, though, the Grizz’s shots stopped falling, the Pistons defense got friskier, and nobody had any answers for Cade Cunningham. Detroit was able to turn a 21-point deficit into a 10-point halftime lead courtesy of a 50-point second quarter. The game
had all the marks of preseason basketball — plenty of turnovers, odd lineup combinations, and important players who sat during the second half. Instead of a traditional recap, I decided to highlight five observations from watching the new-look Pistons for the first time.
1. Cade Cunningham is that dude
Cunningham had 20 points in the first half, and he was doing damage from all over the floor. He kicked off his scoring this season with a patented, patient mid-range jumper. He added a couple threes, a sick up and under on an awkward pass from Tobias Harris, and a few nice slams. He took everything the defense gave him, and some more besides. It was great to see Cunningham impose his will on an opponent, and he set a tone once the Pistons were able to lock in. He also only got to the line three times. It wouldn’t be a Cunningham game if he wasn’t robbed from the charity stripe.
2. The Ron Holland leap looks legit
Holland made a huge leap during Summer League after a promising but decidedly up-and-down rookie campaign. Being great in Summer League is great, but it’s still just Summer League. Today, he carried over a lot of those skills into the first preseason game. He scored just 9 points on 3-of-6 shooting, but you really felt his presence on the floor. He was able to fuel the first big Detroit run that was able to get the Pistons back in the game, courtesy of hard-nosed defense alongside Ausar Thompson. His 3-ball looked smooth, and he looked more confident on the floor.
3. Don’t expect the old Jaden Ivey back right away
Jaden Ivey was playing his first competitive 5-on-5 game in 10 months, and boy did it look like it. He was struggling to keep up on defense, committed some sloppy fouls, dribbled into trouble because he didn’t quite keep pace with his own speed, and he got shots up simply because he wanted to see one go down. Eventually he got a 3-ball to fall off of a great defensive steal from Duncan Robinson, and he delivered a patented end-to-end score to end the first half by running the floor in about four seconds. I know everyone wants to think of the return of a healthy Ivey as Detroit’s big offseason acquisition, and that might be true, but I don’t think it’s going to be true anytime soon. He needs to get back to what game speed really means and figure out how to reintegrate himself into a functional Pistons offense. We’ll see that this season, I have no doubt, but you might not see it until late November.
4. Stock up: Duncan Robinson. Stock down: Caris LeVert
The absence of Malik Beasley is certain to loom large this season, and Duncan Robinson certainly has huge shoes to feel as the Pistons’ go-to three-point threat. Robinson acquitted himself well in preseason game one. He only hit two of his six threes, but his presence stretched the floor, and he was able to take solid attempts off of screens and off the dribble. He was also able to showcase his ability to drive and kick when he’s chased off the three-point line. Most importantly, though, he seems 100% committed to absolutely chewing out the refs when Cade Cunningham doesn’t get the whistle he deserves. I fully endorse.
Caris LeVert, meanwhile, was largely invisible in his 17 minutes. He shot terribly and didn’t seem like he was able to shoulder the ball-handling load in any significant way. Hopefully, he can figure out how to better integrate himself in Detroit’s remaining preseason games.
5. I believe in Dannis Jenkins
The Detroit Pistons don’t have a sterling track record with two-way players. That is to say, perhaps, that their success rate matches that of pretty much every other franchise — the likelihood of any two-way player having a long NBA career is low. Saben Lee is still getting some occasional run from the Suns these days, but that’s the closest thing you can point to as a success story. Tosan Evbuomwan got some major playing time with a horribly depleted Nets roster, and we’ll see if that carries over for another season. Despite all that, I can’t help but believe that Dannis Jenkins is going to figure it out. He has grown by leaps and bounds from when he first joined the Pistons, and if he stays on this developmental path, I think he’s actually going to stick in the NBA, either in Detroit or elsewhere. He has great command of the game, plays solid defense, and has greatly improved his shot. He’s an easy guy to root for, and for whatever reason, I really trust him with the ball in his hands. He looked really solid in what was admittedly the garbage time portion of the game, but I’m glad he’s back in Detroit for another go-round, and I hope he keeps developing and earns a true roster spot by this time next season.
