Detroit Pistons vs Indiana Pacers - 3/20/2024
Game Breakdown
***Just want to send all of the best to Ausar with his health situation (and Stew as well) as that seems like a scary situation that I am so happy to hear that it sounds like they have completely under control***
Pistons - 103 - 122 L
Cade, Ivey, Umude, Evbuomwan, Duren
First defensive possession of the game they actually get broke down BUT have a nice rotation out of it
This is one aspect of the defense I feel like has grown throughout the year
Possession around 7:30 1st quarter is BEAUTIFUL
Thought Pacers actually had good flow offensively but Pistons moved, rotated, cut off drives and eventually forced a TO
Empty side PnR for Cade to start the game….I like it
This actions/sets ATO, start of game, etc. continues to be something I like from Monty and staff
Would never have thought we would be getting Metu-Wiseman minutes in the 1st quarter of a game
10:22 is BEAUTIFUL chemistry between Ivey-Wiseman
Ivey “jails” and “snakes” the defender which Wiseman recognizes so he just “highway screens” his man and opens the lane for the Ivey drive to the rim
Another game where they do stagger Cade and Ivey but the usage primarily rests with Sasser during the Ivey minutes on the court w/o Cade
I don’t think this makes sense for Ivey OR for what I think Sasser role should be
Closing in on most players used in NBA history this season (29, NBA record is 30)
And there it is, get to 30 and tie the record
CADE with an effective use of the shot fake from the 3P line
Has another successful shot fake in the mid range that allows defender to go by and then knocks down the shot
I think Nembhard is a good defender so what he has done through 6 minutes has been impressive
Knocking down 3s is a HUGE part of him realizing his full potential and turning it into production
Nembhard HAD to respect the C&S possibility
Gets fouled on a pull up attempt later in the quarter that never happens if people don’t respect that he can make it
Continues to throw passes into traffic, 2 in the first quarter in PnR situations where I love him trying to get his big the ball but it wasn’t open
MID POST ISOLATION (seems to always yield something positive)
Forces a Pacers defensive 3 seconds
PACERS broadcast is raving about him “he is going to be an all league player at some point”
The finish through Turner at 6:00 in the 2nd quarter is the EXACT finishes I think he has to become elite at
Still getting to his spots/shots in the 3rd quarter (I don’t have worries about this) but he simply is not making them
DUREN with AWESOME hand placement in the ball screen at 10:00 in the 1st quarter!
Wish he was a little better recovering to the roll man in these situations
IVEY 1 for 2 from that mid range area early in this game
I really think THIS is the biggest area of growth for him going into next season BECAUSE he can get to this spot anytime he wants
Really nice isolation dribble move under 1 minute to go in the 1st
Seems like he has done a decent job figuring out the nuances of drawing fouls
This number is actually down per100 possessions from last season
UMUDE struggling from the corner in the 1st quarter outside of the 1 attempt he got fouled on
Misses 2 good looks and fumbled another on the catch
There we go, drive out of the corner and hits the mid range pull up
3rd quarter he attacks the closeout and gets all the way to the rim
SASSER separation and shot making is impressive
His defense has not been as impactful as I had hoped
EVBUOMWAN extremely physical on his drives to the rim
METU moves pretty well and I even liked how he looked attacking a couple closeouts (even if they weren’t fruitful) but he just doesn’t offer enough as a true floor spacer to be that interesting
Makes a couple plays defensively in passing lanes
FOURNIER has been bad the past couple of games
This can’t be a guy that turns the ball over
Pacers
Hali, Nembhard, Nesmith, Siakam, Turner
If you want more notes on the Pacers I recently did a full breakdown on one of their games over on The Basketball Bulletin (you can also find my NBA Draft Scouting Reports on that substack - link at the top of the page)
Had some beautiful possessions where the ball just kept moving, everyone made a quick decision with it and eventually defense has a breakdown
Have been good about getting that early transition post position (Siakam and Toppin)
I LOVE when a star gets doubled and passes out….they get 1 or 2 passes and then back to them
This is when a defense is vulnerable because they are scrambling out of the double team
Pacers do it mid 3rd with Siakam and gets a wide open C&S 3PM
SIAKAM actually the one keeping them in the game early as he is about the only one scoring
Making some of those tough, physical drives and buckets but they also create some open looks for him to knock down
He was just too strong for the Pistons defenders and would bump them off to get his attempt off
He was really good with the transition post up
HALI showing off that eye manipulation again
Found his scoring here in the 3rd quarter
MCDERMOTT seems like a guy that will be important for them in the playoffs with his ability to space the floor
MCCONNELL does a nice job pressuring the paint
TOPPIN is pretty dangerous in the corner and along the baseline when he is making that corner C&S 3P
SHEPPARD is an interesting rookie
Makes shots, has been solid defensively, seems to flow well within their offense
NEMBHARD been much more aggressive looking to score than the last Pacers game I watched
JACKSON energy ALWAYS stands out when I watch a Pacers game
NESMITH turned himself into a solid player
44% from the 3P line this year, had some nice attacks off the bounce in this game
TURNER is just 3 blocks shy of taking the No. 1 spot on Pacers Franchise History list (Jermaine O’Neal)