Who: Phoenix Suns @ Detroit Pistons
When: 4:00pm Arizona Time
Where: Little Caesars Arena — Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Suns+, KTVK, KPHE, AZFS App
Listen: ESPN Phoenix 620 AM, SiriusXM
Are you ready for lift off? The Phoenix Suns tip off their 2026–27 preseason tonight against the Detroit Pistons. It’s the first of five preseason games before the regular season begins on October 23 against the Portland Trail Blazers.
For Phoenix, it’s an opportunity to begin the position battles that will surely define this
preseason and bleed into the regular season. This isn’t a team built around aging veterans competing for relevancy. The oldest player on the roster is Dillon Brooks at 30, and numerous young players will be competing for opportunities to showcase their development while continuing to grow. For them, the preseason serves as a catalyst for what they hope becomes consistent rotational minutes once the games begin to count.
On the other side are the Detroit Pistons, a team that finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference a season ago. That seeding didn’t translate into postseason success as they lost in the second round to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Detroit has made tweaks along the way in an effort to fortify the roster around its budding young star, Cade Cunningham.
Two teams on very different pathways and timelines converge to begin the preseason. And both of those journeys begin tonight.
Tale of the Tape
All of the statistics listed below are from last season.
Probable Starters
With Jalen Duren signing late, here is my best guess:
Injury Report
Suns
- Mark Williams — OUT (Torn Left Labrum)
Pistons
- Jalen Duren — Game Time Decision (Undisclosed)
What to Watch For
There are numerous position battles throughout the roster, but none is more anticipated than the battle for the starting center role. After signing Mark Williams to a multiyear deal this offseason, Williams injured the labrum in his left shoulder and is expected to miss multiple months. That leaves a void and creates an opportunity for third-year center Oso Ighodaro and second-year center Khaman Maluach. Tonight is the first step toward determining who could see that starting role with more frequency.
The chatter coming out of training camp and offseason workouts is that Maluach has become a vocal leader in the frontcourt while growing both physically and mentally. That doesn’t mean the starting role automatically becomes his. Ighodaro was a player who raised all ships when he was on the floor last season and is somebody the coaching staff trusts on both ends.
There are other battles taking place as well. In some ways, it feels like the third-year guys versus the second-year guys. Ryan Dunn is looking to remain relevant within the rotation and secure consistent minutes, something that could be challenged by second-year wing Rasheer Fleming. Both are destined for three-and-D roles, and every opportunity they receive to earn minutes can further their development and fortify their case for a regular place in the rotation.
And that rotation is the biggest thing to watch at this point. Yes, it’s the first game of the preseason, and you can’t put too much stock into everything you see. Head coach Jordan Ott is using this time to pull different levers, experiment with combinations, and learn what works. Because a lever gets pulled tonight doesn’t mean that’s the destiny of the player or the team.
This is trial-and-error time. Tonight should be treated as such.
Key to a Suns Win
Winning in the traditional sense doesn’t matter tonight. Preseason standings mean nothing. I’m looking at winning through the lens of individual battles and specific aspects of the game. Put together quality possessions. Create good habits. Stack repetitions that can translate into long-term success.
Detroit is a great team. The Suns went 1–1 against the Pistons last season and nearly went 2–0, losing their first matchup 108–105. If Phoenix wants to compete with a defense-heavy team like Detroit, the offense needs to be crisp.
The three-point line is one of the mysteries Phoenix needs to solve this season after losing so much quality shooting with the departures of Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale. Luke Kennard and Collin Gillespie can help fill that void, but what kind of three-point production will the Suns get from the starting five?
Ball security will matter as well. Detroit led the league in steals last season. They’re pesky, they’re long, and they’ll pressure you. So if the Suns want to win tonight in the sense that matters, they need to win possessions, and that starts by not giving them up. And that starts with being smart with the basketball.
Prediction
My prediction? We have some fun watching Phoenix Suns basketball again.
There are new faces in Miles Bridges, Luke Kennard, Pat Spencer, and Koa Peat, and tonight is our first opportunity to see them wearing the purple and orange. It’s our first glimpse at how all of these pieces might fit together and what this version of the Suns could ultimately become.
The preseason isn’t about wins and losses. It’s about the development that occurs along the way. Tonight, that development finally begins.
Suns 109, Pistons 102
