Opponent Scouting: Charlotte Hornets. (1-0)
Tonight at 7:00pm EST the Pistons will be on the road again in Charlotte to face the Hornets. Both teams are on one day of rest with the Hornets coming off a victory over the Hawks while the Pistons lost to the Heat.
The Them:
The Hornets are coming off a year from hell where a combination of injuries and off-court issues tore their entire team apart. So despite their awful season last year, they will likely not be quite as miserable this season if they can manage to stay healthy. LaMelo Ball has some issues defensively and had a poor opening night but he remains a dynamite passer, wreckless (but effective) pull-up shooter, and the type of generally dynamic offensive player that he is very much a danger. Terry Rozier isn’t very big but he shoots tons of threes and does so effectively and is a tenacious defender, Rozier is one of those guys who rarely gets press since he left Boston but is quietly an excellent player. The type of player that if he does end up on a contender again he will suddenly be back in the spotlight. Gordon Hayward is old and has constantly been hurt but when he is healthy, which he is for now, he is still a really effective do-it-all wing who makes your team better on both ends of the floor. PJ Washington is a really good shooter as a slightly small-ball 4. Mark Williams is a legit 7 footer with some real athleticism and touch.
Brandon Miller came off the bench in their first game and played pretty well, the Alabama rookie is tall and a silky-smooth shooter. JT Thor has a cool name, Nic Richards is not that good but he is huge which is worth something off the bench.
I’m not sure that the Hornets will be good, but while they are healthy they certainly won’t suck. They will have some ups and downs with the fact that their main scorers can be inconsistent and they don’t really have the defense to prop that up but even on the defensive end they have real size down low and a guy like Rozier is a menace at the point of attack.
Matchups to watch:
Cade vs. Jump-shooting: He was forced into taking tons of jumpers due to the lack of spacing in game one. It worked out alright but that is a hard way to score points, Cade is a guy who theoretically might just be good enough to survive that way but if he is off with the jumpers the Pistons offense may tank completely.
Pistons defense vs. Hornets perimeter: I’m not sure how the Pistons will match up but keeping LaMelo and Rozier in check is going to be of huge importance for the Pistons. Those two are the real engines for the Hornets and assuming the Pistons roll out the same starting lineup they will have multiple good options, a good time for Ausar and Killian to earn their keep.
Pistons starting lineup? I’m guessing that the previous starting lineup will be the lineup at least until the Pistons are healthy. But against the Heat the Pistons took off when Burks was swapped in for Ausar so I wouldn’t be shocked if they made that switch.
Stew vs. Staying Aggressive: I remain skeptical of Stewart at the 4 but if he’s going to make it work the game against the Heat is the first step toward making it work. If the Hornets remain as utterly indifferent to him as the Heat were he has to make them pay by hitting wide-open 3s and crashing the offensive glass.
Ivey vs. Not being awful: It would really be great for my “Jaden Ivey should be starting” narrative if he didn’t play like ass.
So in conclusion…
Run for the hills if:
Cade is missing jumpers.
LaMelo catches fire from deep.
The Hornets’ size down low makes the Pistons front-line look less effective.
Cackle with knowing glee if:
Stewart and Duren are repeatedly body-slamming whoever tries to box them out.
Jaden Ivey shows up to play.
Killian is stealing the soul from whoever he guards.