With the roster full and Summer League in full swing, lots of questions about starting lineups and playing combinations to get us rolling in this week’s edition of Pistons Mailbag.
@erictwigs: How does the center spot look this season with Duren impressing in Summer League? Surely not having Duren play in the G League this season, right?
Langlois: My money remains on Isaiah Stewart as the starter going into the season. Dwane Casey is probably going to lean toward giving Nerlens Noel a shot to earn some minutes there based on Noel’s ability to anchor a team defensively. Duren looks closer to being ready to play legitimate NBA minutes than I anticipated, but the Pistons aren’t in any need of force feeding him. It’s folly to think you can map out how a player will be used over the course of the season – games start, things happen and grand plans get pretty quickly trashed – but it wouldn’t surprise me if the desire would be to go slow with Duren, including giving him some G League games over the first month or six weeks, and then find a bigger role for him over the back half of the season.
@Pistons_Nation1: How likely is it that Isaiah Stewart will be our starter day one at the four? Who starts at five if he is?
Langlois: They got two games to get a glimpse of it in Summer League. That’s hardly a big enough sample to be conclusive, but Stewart showed enough to make it plausible that he has a future at that position. It’s a big leap from showing enough to get by at power forward here and there to installing him as the primary fixture at the position. My hunch is that it would be something they’ll work at gradually – spot minutes against other more conventional power forwards at first and then, if all goes well with that, giving it a wider berth. If it gets to a point where they’re going to use Stewart at power forward with some regularity – not necessarily the starter, but consistent (if not major) minutes on a nightly basis – then maybe they’ll see how he fares in matchups against more modern-day fours. Then it comes down to a matter of whether the Pistons gain more from those matchups than they give up in terms of dominating inside and on the glass vs. getting hurt from the 3-point line or off the dribble. If Stewart shows enough to earn minutes at the four, then by extension he’ll be compatible with pretty much anyone they put at the five.
Langlois: That’s not as easy to answer as it would seem because Dwane Casey has to figure out not only what makes for a potentially complementary first unit but also balance the scoring, shooting, ballhandling, defense and rebounding between his first and second units. But I would say we can start with this: Cade Cunningham and Saddiq Bey are locks to start. I think Isaiah Stewart is a pretty good bet to start. I think that’s still going to be at center, though I think Stewart is showing them enough at Summer League with the way he’s responded to playing at power forward to believe he’s going to get some minutes there. Jaden Ivey would be my heavy favorite to start alongside Cunningham. I think they want to keep Ivey at Cunningham’s side because it helps both of them – Ivey can guard point guards to relieve Cunningham of that burden and Cunningham’s strengths as primary ballhandler and playmaker free Ivey to attack from the weak side with his speed. The last spot could go a few different ways. It could be Alec Burks, though he’s been so good as a bench scorer for years that I’d lean toward keeping him in that role. Isaiah Livers makes a lot of sense as the fifth starter. I wouldn’t get too caught up in power forward/small forward and Livers and Bey would be virtually interchangeable, but the Pistons like what Bey did at power forward when Jerami Grant was out last season and I think Bey would be the nominal power forward and Livers would be primarily the three. A Livers-Bey forward combination gives the Pistons abundant 3-point shooting and that’s one thing they’re conscious of supplying to give Cunningham space to operate. They’d probably stagger the minutes of Livers and Bey so one is available for time with the second unit, too. The question that Casey will have to start sorting out in training camp is which big man combinations are most functional. Kelly Olynyk is far and away the most advanced as a perimeter threat, so he’s likely going to be front and center with a second unit that also includes Killian Hayes and Burks as staples. They signed Marvin Bagley to a reported three-year deal, so he’s in the plans. I would imagine Casey includes a fourth big man in the rotation around the staggering of minutes for Bey and Livers with Nerlens Noel and Jalen Duren in the mix. If I had to guess at a second unit on day one (assuming the first unit is Cunningham-Ivey-Stewart-Livers-Bey), I’d go Hayes, Cory Joseph, Olynyk, Bagley and Burks.
@adamoswald7: Which player on the Pistons helped himself the most through the first two Summer League games?
Langlois: The two lottery picks, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, certainly made an impression but the mission for rookies in Summer League is to get their feet wet. So I wouldn’t go to those obvious options even though both put their intriguing strengths on display in ways that should raise optimism for their futures. Isaiah Stewart showed there could truly be a future for him as a more versatile big man who can play power forward and stretch the floor a little bit, so you could make the case for Stewart. But Stewart already had a role; with him, Summer League was more about giving him experience at power forward and he passed that test. But I’ll go with Isaiah Livers. With Jerami Grant gone, Livers is in line for a bigger role. What he did in two games of Summer League should give both him and the Pistons further confidence that he’s ready for all of it.
@rafranciollima/IG: What is the Pistons culture the newcomers should embrace and learn?
Langlois: Troy Weaver came in from day one paying homage to the two Pistons championship eras, both of them built foremost on toughness and defense. Weaver has since expounded on that to assure anyone questioning roster construction that he and Dwane Casey are most interested in finding those qualities in players with elite basketball ability, as well, but they’re not going to cheat the process by adding talented players who won’t meet the organizational standard for toughness, competitiveness and selflessness. Weaver challenged Ivey on draft night during their first conversation to meet the challenge defensively and assert himself at that end foremost. Duren clearly embodies the mindset based on everything he’s said and shown during early Summer League games.
Adriaan (La Haye, France): The Pistons have draft rights to Gabriele Procida. Today I heard on German TV that Alba Berlin offered him a three-year contract. Can you explain?
Langlois: Procida joined the Pistons last week in Las Vegas, though he will not participate in Summer League. When they made him the 36th pick in last month’s draft, the intent was that he would continue to play in Europe for next season, at minimum. I don’t know the specifics of Procida’s contract talks with Alba or any other European franchise, but it’s typical for players to negotiate deals that allow them to opt out for NBA roster spots and I would anticipate that to be the case with Procida to give him the opportunity after the 2022-23 season to come to the Pistons if that’s mutually agreeable to the Pistons and Procida. I saw him working out after a Pistons practice last week, by the way, and he looks all of 6-foot-8, moves with athletic grace and displayed shooting form as advertised. He’ll be one to monitor.
@Nanspicksnft: Realistically, do you see our guys pulling together enough wins to at least make the play-in?
Langlois: I think Troy Weaver and Dwane Casey are focused on building the best foundation for the future beyond 2022-23. What does that mean for next season? They’re not going to do anything to hold the team back, so there won’t be any gnashing of teeth if the Pistons find themselves in playoff contention after 20 or 30 games. But they’re also not building the roster for the purpose of competing for a playoff spot next season. One of my first thoughts on draft night, when they improbably maneuvered to add the pick that led to Jalen Duren on top of Jaden Ivey, that while it was an ideal outcome for the future it would make the Pistons preposterously young. In an Eastern Conference where it took 43 wins to finish 10th and make the play-in tournament last season, it’s a stretch to expect this team to make that much of a leap. Yes, it can done. Yes, Cleveland made a similar leap last season. But it’s rare. There are going to be a lot of nights they give legitimate title contenders fits and also nights they look like a team more age appropriate for the Big Ten than the NBA.
@DonJuan_Junya: With the abundance of centers/power forwards, do you see the Pistons making a move to add more wing help? Is Ivey-Cade the starting backcourt when the season starts? Duren should be ahead in the depth chart in front of Noel? Is Killian definitely the first guard off the bench?
Langlois: Five bigs is a lot in this day and age. If Isaiah Stewart proves able to handle power forward against all (or almost all) lineups, that eases the logjam some. The Pistons could use another wing, but don’t sleep on Braxton Key. The two-way status limits his availability to a degree, but I can see a path to Key cracking the rotation if any opportunity arises. There aren’t a lot of trades any more that are simply about my guy for your guy to address needs – trades these days are often more about contracts and cap space or roster spots – but once the dust settles on free agency and everyone looks at their roster, it’s possible the Pistons line up with a team short on bigs and heavy on wings and a deal gets worked out. More likely, if it comes to trade, is separate deals – one to reroute a big man somewhere and one to land a wing from another team. But I don’t think Troy Weaver feels any particular urgency to do it now. Once the season gets going and injuries strike, things have a way of sorting themselves out. Yes on Cunningham and Ivey as the likely opening night backcourt starters. The Pistons aren’t going to hold Duren back. If he forces the issue, he’ll be in the rotation. On the other hand, he has to win the job pretty clearly. If it’s close and his role is on the fringe of the rotation, the Pistons won’t hesitate to give him some time in the G League. He’s 18. He needs to play. I’d bet on a Hayes-Joseph tandem with the second unit to start the season with Alec Burks also joining them.
Walt (Oak Park, Mich.): Do you think it might be in the Pistons best interest to bring back Rasheed Wallace to be a part of the coaching staff to coach the bigs we have seeing he did coach Jalen Duren in Memphis?
Langlois: It’s been out there for over a month now that Wallace is destined to join Darvin Ham’s staff with the Lakers – they were Pistons teammates on the ’04 NBA champions – but I don’t believe it was ever officially announced. Maybe I missed it but I haven’t seen evidence it’s official. Wallace actually wasn’t around Duren all that much last season as he left Memphis in mid-December when, apparently, he stepped away due to COVID-19 protocols and then served as a consultant remotely. I asked Duren about Wallace last week and he said, “He became a mentor to me, a guy who gave me a lot of advice on how to be a pro, the mindset to keep. He told me about his journey and what it took for him to get where he’s at.” Duren and Wallace also share Philadelphia roots, so there was a quick bond. The Pistons have a deep well of enthusiastic and adept development coaches, though, and Duren has expressed nothing but gratitude and appreciation for the way he’s been treated and coached. I think everyone is satisfied that Duren is being properly nurtured.
Darrell (Detroit): As much as I’d like to see Ivey start, I believe bringing him off the bench as a scoring sixth man might be more geared toward his talents and winning basketball. A starting lineup featuring Cade, Burks, Livers, Bey and Bagley might be the most fruitful in terms of floor spacing and made 3-pointers. Maybe it would be best to allow Ivey to make his rookie mistakes from the bench where there is less pressure and start him next year.
Langlois: That’s one possibility, for sure. The Pistons made a pretty significant investment in Bagley, so it stands to reason he’s going to be given a full opportunity to spread his wings. I have a hard time envisioning Isaiah Stewart not having a prominent role and my money would still be on him as a starter, but your supposition is not out of the question. I’d also lean toward Ivey starting to play off of Cunningham, but it’s possible they’ll have him play off of Killian Hayes or Cory Joseph with the second unit. I don’t think there’s any right or wrong at this point. Dwane Casey will have to use every practice, scrimmage and preseason game to full advantage to see what combinations work best. The one glaring question I would have with your starting lineup is who guards point guards or quick guards. That would be a lot to ask of Cunningham, given what’s already asked of him offensively. And Burks isn’t really suited to guarding that type, either. Who guards Trae Young? Ja Morant? Darius Garland? Fred VanVleet?
@CadeAndFriends: With Cade Cunningham adding muscle and no longer being a rookie, how much of an increase in free throw attempts per game would you estimate him getting next season.
Langlois: He averaged 5.8 attempts per game in his one season at Oklahoma State, more than double the 2.6 per game he shot as an NBA rookie. I would bet that the 2.6 will be a career low for Cunningham and feel pretty good about that. I don’t know that it’s going to double or go up dramatically, but I’d feel comfortable saying it’ll rise by at least one attempt per game, so somewhere around 3.6 or 4.0. It’s not all about Cunningham. If the Pistons shoot it from three a little better and stretch defenses just a little more, Cunningham will have more room to operate and put defenses in position to have to foul him more often. If Jaden Ivey’s speed causes defenses to react to him, that also will give Cunningham more opportunities to attack the basket and draw fouls.