It’s good to see you back, Jalen Duren. The Detroit Pistons big man saw his first action since signing a long-term deal and it looked like he hadn’t missed a beat. Duren scored 24 points in 15 minutes of action. He was pulverizing the rim as a roll man, explosive in his face-up game, and looked to be a more assured ball handler as he navigated screens and weaved through traffic. He was 8-of-9 from the floor, shot a three(!), which he missed, had two steals, a block, and just one turnover. Not bad
for your first competitive game in five months.
Duren was the best of several dominant Pistons performances in the team’s 128-106 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. After a sluggish first quarter that saw Detroit trail by double digits courtesy of some sloppy turnovers and not getting back on defense, the game flipped from the second quarter on. Suddenly, the Wolves couldn’t buy a basket, and couldn’t do much of anything about Detroit’s ability to get into the paint.
Detroit dominated the paint 64-30 and shot 57% from the floor and 44% from deep. Duncan Robinson was 4-of-5 from three, and John Collins, Ron Holland, and Tolu Smith combined to shoot 11-of-15 from the floor, with, I think, every shot at the rim.
Cade Cunningham had 14 points and nine assists, and I think the most remarkable Cunningham-related thing about this game is how much Cade didn’t handle the ball. The Pistons continued to rely heavily on Ausar Thompson as a ball handler, both bringing the ball up the floor and initiating offense, and Thompson looks much more comfortable in that role so far this preseason than he did last season. Thompson had four assists on the night.
It was good to see some things look easier for Collins, who still looks like he’s trying to find his way within this Pistons offense. It will come with time, as he is a high-level shooter and a player who loves to take advantage of easy looks created by his point guard, and Cade creates plenty of easy looks for teammates.
Isaiah Joe is still struggling. He was 4-of-10 from the field and 1-of-5 from deep. He’s still dribbling the ball a lot, navigating defensive pressure a lot, holding his own, and missing plenty of shots. As with Collins, I choose to believe it will come. He’s been an elite shooter for years. No reason to think that won’t be the case in Detroit.
The Wolves were led by 20 points from Anthnony Edwards, but on just 5-of-15 shooting. He had an incredibly quiet 2.5 quarters before he started to find his offense and Detroit started resting its starters. The Pistons will next play on Friday against the Toronto Raptors, who many are predicting will pass Detroit in the Eastern Conference standings this season. It should be another good test of two good teams.
