Opponent Scouting: Chicago Bulls (1-1)
Tonight at 7:00pm EST the Detroit Pistons will have their home opener against the Bulls of Chicago. Both teams are playing on the second night of a back to back as well as it being their 3rd game in 4 nights. Both teams won last night, with the Pistons having beaten the Hornets and the Bulls defeating the Raptors in overtime.
The Them:
They will probably remain something of a meme as they are maybe the most “stuck in mediocrity” team in the NBA right now but as much as everyone will joke about that for our purposes here it is important to remember that despite not being world beaters they also do not suck and as far as regular season teams go there’s a real chance they are actually the best team the Pistons have played so far.
The Bulls core is a trio of offensive engines that fit awkwardly but are still good enough to be difficult. DeMar DeRozan remains timeless as a mid-range powerhouse who also gets to the hoop and draws heaps of fouls, every season people have figured he would finally start of have issues and yet here we are and he just scored 33 last night. DeRozan is also a better passer than he gets credit for. Zach LaVine is an exceptional athlete with a great first step who is also one of the league’s premier pullup jump-shot guys, his defense and poor passing will keep him from ever being a true top-level guy but there are nights when the offense is so good that he feels like it. Nikola Vucevic is tried and true as a jump-shooting big. His defense leaves a lot to be desired but he at least rebounds and mostly gets to the right place, despite his size he is not a “PHYSICAL PRESCENCE” type which will make this game an interesting matchup since '“PHYSICAL PRESCENCE” is mainly what the Pistons front-court brings to the table.
After those three guys the Bulls have a nice collection of other guys that can play. Patrick Williams may or may not make a leap to something more than a 3 and D player but he really does defend at a high level and has shot at a respectable clip so far. Coby White likes to shoot and is pretty good at it, very much a classic off-the-bench gunner type except they are starting him at point-guard which is understandable because he’s developed some nice passing. Alex Caruso is one of the league’s most destructive perimeter defenders and doesn’t suck on offense, Andre Drummond has found a nice home backing up Vuc the last couple of years and Bulls fans have taken to him which is nice to see, he still is a monster rebounding and as a screen and roll player. Jevon Carter joins Caruso in the backcourt off the bench as yet another really good defender who is at least competent offensively. Torey Craig is a veteran swing guy who can shoot a bit, same for Ayo Dosunmu except that Ayo isn’t a veteran.
Basically this remains a team that, when healthy, has some solid top-end talent and some real depth. Even in a good outcome they won’t be legit contenders but they are a solid squad, last nights game against the Raptors also hopefully pulled some of the stink off of their opening night blowout loss to the Thunder.
Matchups to watch:
Pistons starting lineup? I still kind of hope they keep rolling with the Killian/Ausar pairing as starters because if you are going to just try and defend you may as well lean in. But the lineup data in the first two games might push Monty’s hand.
Duren vs. Proving it against Vuc: I wrote in my recap and also spoke about it that Duren has defied expectations as a defender so far. Tonight will be a big test to really prove how far he may have come. As a rookie, any big who could pull him away from the paint gave him absolute fits and that is exactly what Vuc will try and do. The flip side is that we know Vuc won’t really want to deal with Duren physically on the other end. Either way, if Duren has another impressive defensive outing we have to re-evaluate what he can be and what this team could be this season.
Pistons vs. Turnovers: Pretty obvious that turnovers have been a huge issue. Part of that is baked into being such a young team, part of it is also baked into running out lineups where the defense can ignore 2 to 3 guys on the floor, still needs to be a focal point.
Ausar vs. DeRozan: A very tough test for Ausar defensively. DeRozan’s pump-fakey game will push Ausar’s seemingly excellent instincts for when to go for a block vs stay on this feet to the limit but theoretically DeRozan is a guy he should hold up against. On the flip side DeRozan is not always the most attentive defender so Ausar should get chances to impact the offense.
Cade vs. Getting back on track: The Bulls have enough defenders and solid coaching that it likely won’t get any easier, but I think we can all agree that the Pistons won’t win many games with Cade playing the way he did last night. Knock out some of the bad turnovers and keep out of foul trouble.
So in conclusion…
Run for the hills if:
Either LaVine or DeRozan are getting whatever they want
Duren is losing Vuc for open jumpers constantly
The Pistons have 15 turnovers in the first quarter
Wink knowingly at your friends if:
Vuc is looking to the bench with a “wtf are these guys problem?” look on his face after Duren and Stew bulldoze him out of the way for another offensive rebound
The combination of Ausar and Killian is neutralizing LaVine and DeRozan
Cade is not being pulled from the game due to foul trouble
Opportunities for me to look stupid:
Cade bounces back
One of LaVine or DeRozan has a big game
Duren holds up
Pistons 106 - Bulls 101