Opponent Scouting: Orlando Magic (24-35)
Tonight at 7:00pm EST the Detroit Pistons will be on the road in Orlando to face the Magic. Obvoiusly it is the first game back for both teams after the all-star break.
The Them:
There is a ton of positivity around the Magic and rightfully so. The future is bright and they have been a pretty good team since December began. That said it should be noted that even if we discard the earlier portion of the season they are only “okay”. That said, they are officially the kings of “spooky” in the NBA now.
Coming into tonight with the league’s 25th-ranked offense and 19th defense. Led by rookie Paolo Banchero, who’s having a similar season to Cade last year if the Pistons had won a few more games. Banchero’s efficiency isn’t great, he’s shooting below 30% from deep, but the eye test is clear. He’s huge, he’s smooth, he can get his shot from almost anywhere, and I’ve been really impressed with his passing. Michigan product Franz Wagner is his wing-mate and he’s exceptional. He can drive to the hoop or shoot, and isn’t a bad passer himself while averaging 19 points and 3.5 assists per game. Wendell Carter Jr has really found his footing as a center who is a B+ at pretty much everything. He’s a good defender, a good shooter (37% from deep) and can put the ball on the floor to score himself. he’s averaging 15.4 points and 8.5 rebounds. Markelle Fultz has completed a recovery, he’s a terror defensively with his wingspan, wonderful at running the offense, and makes highlight plays almost every night. He still can’t really shoot threes but he has made himself into a really valuable NBA player. Gary Harris rounds out the starting lineup as primarily a 3 and D guy from the shooting guard spot.
Jalen Suggs is a disappointment based on where he was drafted but he is really good defensively and still has his moments on offense. Moritz Wagner isn’t much beyond fairly large and occasionally hitting deep shots. Bol Bol has cooled off but is still huge and skilled. Cole Anthony likes to shoot.
This team is still really young, but they have enough guys that are not babies (Fultz, Carter, Harris) to lift up the others. The thing that is truly remarkable though is that even though guys like Fultz and Carter are not babies anymore, other than Harris there is genuinely no veteran in this rotation which is wild.
Matchups to watch:
James Wiseman: Yeah. Hampton supposedly will not have cleared waivers before this game so he’s not available. We all want to see more of Wiseman.
Rotation: My guess would be that the Pistons took time over the break to try and figure out a rotation they want to keep the rest of the way. It will be telling where everyone ends up. Is Killian still starting? How do they play the bigs? That type of thing.
Pistons vs. Paolo/Franz: Been a theme all season. Big wings are big trouble for the Pistons and the Magic have a pair of them. If Orlando’s two young wings go unchecked most of the night this could get ugly.
Ivey/Killian vs. Fultz: Fultz is monstrous defensively and gained a ton of confidence on offense and is important to the Magic’s play. Going to be a two-way challenge for whichever guard is paired up with him for most of the night.