ex-Coach Dwane Casey returns with sad-sack Detroit squad
According to Greek legend, Hercules was given twelve near-impossible tasks to perform as expiation for a crime. If Hercules were alive today, he would shy away from the thirteenth task, should it be issued him: rebuild an NBA team. How often have we heard a team President or even its owner talk about how they are going to break up their current roster, acquire a bunch of draft picks, and create a champion. As Dr. Phil used to say – “How’s that working for you?” The league is replete with rebuilding flops…Sacramento, Minnesota, Boston, Charlotte, Philadelphia, have all taken the pledge in the past decade, and have zero Finals visits, and very few post-season appearances, to show for it.
Let’s add the Detroit Pistons to the Slough of Despair squads. Their record the past two COVID-shortened seasons is 40-98, and they are 2-9 so far in 2021-22. Those two Ws were against other basement dwellers, namely Orlando and Houston (who have four wins between them!). The Pistons are tied with the New Orleans Pelicans for the league’s worst plus/minus, at -11.2. Detroit has no company whatsoever with its abysmal offense; their 94.9 points PG average is more than 4 points worse than the OKC Thunder. What can you expect when three of their five starters are 20 years old?
The most compelling story line about this game is the battle between two contenders for NBA Rookie of the Year honours. The Raptors’ Scottie Barnes plays like a five-year veteran, and has earned his starter status with almost frightening ease. The first pick of July’s draft was swingman Cade Cunningham, who has started every game for the Pistons, and is averaging 12 points. While there’s some hand-wringing in Detroit about his disappointing results from beyond the arc, I’d advise them to relax. He’s making 92.9% of his free throws; if there were a flaw in his shooting form, it would show up in that statistic. I suspect he’s having the majority of his deep shots contested. Get him better teammates, and his numbers will improve. That statement also applies to their top point-getter, the versatile Jerami Grant.
Kelly Olynyk, one of the trio (Cory Joseph, Trey Lyles) of Canadians on the Pistons roster, was tied for second in team scoring with 12.5 points PG. Sadly, he’s blown out his knee, and isn’t likely to return until January. Without Olynyk, the Pistons will lean even more heavily on smallish center Isaiah Stewart, who’s 20 and in his second season (and you thought the Raptors were young!) Like Precious Achiuwa, Stewart is playing out of position, but he hustles and does a lot of necessary dirty work. It’s not nearly enough – the Pistons rank ahead of only the 76ers in rebounds PG.
Coach Casey’s bench is dreadful.
3 keys to Raptors victory
- Play them loose on the perimeter. Here’s another bottom-of-the-table stat the Pistons don’t want to own but do: 28.6% from beyond the 3-point arc. Bombs away, Detroit. If our guys clog the paint to make drives difficult, their offense will suffer even more than it usually does.
- Attack their ball-handlers. While the Pistons are ‘only’ the NBA’s 23rd-worst at turning over the ball, the Raptors are the second-best at steals. Watch for Barnes, Fred double-V, and Gary Trent to mess these guys up. The Raptors showed pressure on the after-basket inbounding in the 76ers game. I’d like to see more of that against the callow Pistons.
- Get their kids in foul trouble. The sooner we can sit down their youngsters, and send our second unit out, the better. Svi Mykhailiuk might have a 5-steal night, and Chris Boucher can prove his fine outing against Philly wasn’t a fluke.
Final thoughts & forecast
The Raptors should have Pascal Siakam back in the lineup, while Precious and Khem Birch are questionable. Regardless of who dresses, the Raptors have more than enough talent to blow up this game. We haven’t had a laugher since the first Boston game. Here’s another one.
Toronto Raptors 118 – Detroit Pistons 92
- Tags: Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors
