Opponent Scouting: Brooklyn Nets. (18-8)
Tonight at 6:00pm EST the Detroit Pistons will be hosting the Eastern Conference-leading Brooklyn Nets at the LCA. The Pistons are on one day of rest after losing to the Pelicans, while the Nets are coming off of a victory over Atlanta.
The Them:
The Nets still do not have Kyrie Irving due to being unvaccinated, they are still really good. They come into the game with the 13th best offense and 5th best defense in the league.
Kevin Durant is where it all starts. He’s playing as well as he ever has, currently averaging 28 points and 5 assists per game on absurd efficiency. He can score from anywhere, one of the worlds best shooters who is tall enough to shoot over anyone and capable of blowing by guys to get to the hoop. James Harden is allegedly going to be out today with an ankle injury, as are Joe Harris and Paul Millsap.
After that, Patty Mills is still a ball of energy and shooting from the point-guard spot. LaMarcus Aldridge has found himself a bit doing his thing from the midrange, even if his defense is still lacking in his old age. DeAdnre Bembry can shoot, Cameron Thomas is a young wing who in theory can shoot. Bruce Brown we all know, high effort defensive player who is limited offensively. The unfortunately named David Duke is another young wing who can shoot in theory but hasn’t really shot well so far. Nicolas Claxton is athletic, James Johnson is mean.
The team has almost re-formed itself in the injuries/weirdness of the season as a team full of young athletes who defend and basically let Kevin Durant do the offense and its working. While obviously it helps here to have Kevin Durant, but it seems like a solid job of coaching from Steve Nash and company.
Matchups to watch:
Pistons vs. Getting a win: No other way to put it. Even in a tanking season, it isn’t good to have losing streaks like this, they need to get one.
Pistons vs. Kevin Durant: Pretty self-explanatory here. Durant is the Nets offense. The absence of Jerami Grant will make this even more of a long-shot to happen but they will need to try something.
Pistons vs. Missing Jerami Grant: I am actually excited about the possibilities here. The loss of Grant could potentially end up forcing some of the younger guys (mainly Cade and Killian) to step up more throughout the game. On the other hand, Grant has been somewhat of a steadying hand in getting some tough buckets when the offense breaks down, which is often.
Isaiah Stewart vs. Going hard: Obviously Stew goes hard every game. But the Nets do have some shortage of young bigs up front, so if he can basically bother the hell out of Aldridge with his effort and strength it could be an advantage.
The starting lineup: Grant being out leaves a potentially gaping hole in the starting lineup and wider rotations. It will be a trick to figure out who plays when and where.
So in conclusion…
Wink knowingly at your friends if:
The offense suddenly flows way better without Grant around
Aldridge looks very annoyed by Stewart
Kevin Durant is not scoring at will
Run for the hills if:
Kevin Durant is scoring at will
The only difference is even more possessions end in ugly puke shots but they miss more without Grant
Any more bigs get hurt
Opportunities for me to look stupid:
The offense may not be better statistically but looks better to the eye without Grant
Kevin Durant scores at will
The Pistons play with fire and win.
What do you think? How will Grant’s minutes get split up?