Detroit Pistons vs Boston Celtics - 3/18/2024

Game Breakdown

Pistons - 94 - 119 L

• Ivey, Sasser, Umude, Stew, Duren

  • No Cade, Fontecchio, Ausar or Grimes

  • First action of the game tonight is a double drag with Sasser operating

    • Stew gets a clean look with the PnP but misses

  • 28 players used this season is most in franchise history for a single season

  • They are getting DESTROYED on the OREBs in the first half

  • Why is Duren dribbling the ball up the court?

    • We are already having conversations about on ball reps for the perimeter players, he hasn’t shown that these can be fruitful enough to take the ball out of any of their hands

    • And this is coming from someone that was/is very high on the ceiling of what his offensive versatility can be

• IVEY immediately gets to the rim and finishes

  • This will be a great test for him tonight because even though the Celtics are short handed they still have White defending him and size protecting the rim

  • Continue to think that the floater might be a bigger area of growth for him in terms of shot making

    • Goes 2 of 3 on these early as he relentlessly attacks the paint

    • Wildly inconsistent with it throughout the game, though

  • 4:00 2nd Quarter he settles for 3PA (misses) when he has had so much success getting downhill 

  • HAS to be smarter than to take that chance with 2 fouls and 4 minutes left in the 1st half

  • Another on ball defensive possession where he just looks surprised and extremely slow to react to the drive from the offensive player

    • These really just don’t make sense to me, can’t explain why he isn’t ready 

    • Next 2 possessions he is locked in and holds up just fine (all 3 of these possessions were against same player, Jaylen Brown)

• UMUDE starts off with a corner C&S 3PM (continues to make me eat my words haha)

  • I do like the way he attacks rebounds

• STEW with a smooth looking C&S 3PM in transition

  • Did NOT like the transition layup he gave up a couple possessions before

    • When you are his archetype and role you have to make 95% of hustle plays

  • GIBSON starts over him in the 2nd half

    • I will say that this energy level seemed extremely low throughout the entire first half

    • Even more than just that one transition defensive possession I mentioned

• DUREN HAS TO, HAS TO get more active with his hands in the ball screen

  • Just putting them out does not work

  • More active, more deliberate

    • Pocket pass early, high hands later to protect the lob

  • I know that on ball defenders aren’t great screen navigators BUT he can help make up for some of this and ultimately, you want the anchor of the defense to be able to make up for teammates mistakes

  • I will say that this is the most I have remembered hearing him communicate here early in the game

  • The biggest improvements need to come defensively BUT OFFENSIVELY, I would like to see him get that short roll floater down

• SASSER is going to be an interesting player to watch moving forward and how he fits

  • I was a fan of the pick at the time BUT the role he chooses to play (or is asked to) isn’t the one I anticipated and not one I am as intrigued by

  • The same foot, same hand floater is pretty

  • Had some pretty rough decision making tonight

• WISEMAN immediately getting worked by Kornet on the OREBs (continues throughout the 2nd quarter)

  • Does have a couple more nice rim protections in the 1st half

  • Watch how slow the reaction time is to get the closeout on a KP PnP with 3:35 in the 3rd

    • Just have to recognize and recover so much faster than what he does, especially in a scenario where you know the big is a PnP threat like Porzingis

  • Completely whiffs a weakside box out on KP late in the 3rd

  • I have given him credit for some of his better performances this season but this one was pretty rough

  • Always good for 1 offensive foul per game

• FLYNN comes in and makes some things happen

  • 3PM, gets to FT line and has some defensive disruption

  • 2nd rotation doesn’t have nearly the same impact

  • Takes a couple really rough attempts

• FOURNIER just doesn’t seem to have the same energy and impact that he had in the game on Sunday afternoon

  • Gave him all that love for his defense on the podcast (The Pistons Pulse - link at the top of the page if you aren’t familiar) and then it was non existent tonight

• EVBUOMWAN comes in and gets a couple buckets

  • Corner C&S 3PM looked very fluid and smooth

    • Gets the roll on a second make

Celtics

• Pritchard, White, Brown, Porzingis, Kornet

  • On PACE to come close to breaking the all time record for a teams 3PM in a single season

• PORZINGIS is such a valuable big with his floor spacing ability

  • And is a good rim protector

• SVI just has one of those jump shots that makes me think he is a 40%+ 3P shooter but his career just has not played out that way

• WHITE with a career high in 3PM, already by double digits at this point in the season

  • Goodness, he is so valuable with the way he is making shots and the defense

  • Ridiculous shooting performance here in the 1st half

  • Even gets a patented blocked shot

  • Gets his first career triple-double

• BROWN with a nice left hand drive AND left hand finish

  • 28.9 PPG on 54 and 41 shooting splits since ASB

  • Really showed an ability to play through contact on his drives

    • Multiple and-one finishes through that contact

• PRITCHARD another guy that will be huge for them in the playoffs

  • Give them 10 minutes a game and knock down the available C&S 3PAs that come to him (career 39% 3P shooter)

• SPRINGER playing with good energy

  • Not a this year impact guy but maybe someone that grows into a bench role for them down the road