Pistons vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Game Breakdown

*Special Situations*

• We see JB go with a different player (Ausar instead of Moore Jr.) in the starting lineup

  • Will he continue to give different guys chances?

  • I like this one because it gives Ausar a chance to matchup with ANT

• They are 1-5 on the 2nd night of back to backs coming into this game

• Continue to absolutely LOVE the offense/defense subs JB makes at the end of quarters

  • Gets Ausar in for defense and then gets Cade in for offense and he gets a bucket

• Really nice 1st half and a double digit lead….how many times have we discussed keeping that momentum in situations like this so you can put teams away earlier and not have to play those super close games down the stretch

  • Rough opening possession followed by ANT and-one finish and Detroit needs an immediate response

  • Ausar breaks down the defense and Harris knocks down the open corner C&S 3P (BIG ANSWER!)

  • Get a stop and Cade with a crafty left hand scoop finish

  • Randle bucket but two on Cade results in open C&S 3PM from THJ

  • Get another stop followed by a Duren finish

  • THIS IS THE EXACT TYPE OF RUN THEY NEED IN THESE SITUATIONS!!!!

• They have answered every single Timberwolves attempt at a run with a bucket of their own to keep the lead extended here in the 3rd quarter

  • Even that bucket from Sasser to end the quarter after back to back 3PM from NAW and Reid

• ***I am annoying myself with how many times I have typed “ANT” throughout this breakdown but he truly seems to be the guy in the middle of everything for them***

• Very impressive performance as they answered EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. the Timberwolves tried to really get themselves back in the game

  • We haven’t seen them keep a team at “arms length” like this many times this year which was really good to see answer after answer that came from multiple players

Pistons

• Cade, THJ, Ausar, Harris, Duren

  • DEFENSE

    • They are blitzing these ball screen actions with ANT and Gobert

      • I like the game plan because they have not done a great job navigating screen this year, Duren seems to be more active doing this than drop AND you take the ball out of ANT’s hands

    • I feel like this is would have been a really good game to have 1 of Ausar/Holland on the floor at all times to matchup with ANT

    • Seems like one time a game they have matchup mistake like with DiVincenzo here towards the end of the 1st quarter

    • LOVE this defensive possession from Detroit

      • Holland is the low man BUT realizes that he doesn’t need to commit because it’s Conley and Ausar and Stew are chasing so he gets back to a 40% shooter on the weak side in NAW, Cade and Beasley execute the X Out rotation…….they put two on the ball but Ausar (and Holland) are engaged on the weak side and get the steal that leads to transition….beautiful possession

• CADE going to get defended my a big time perimeter defender in McDaniels who has a lot of length AND has the rim protector in Gobert behind him

  • I like seeing him be able to take this type of defender into the post still

    • Doing a nice job of using contact to create space and then finish over the length

  • He has scored on McDaniels also but he has REALLY attacked and made them pay any time they have gotten someone else switched onto him

  • Continues to show off some of the bounce with some of these finishes at the rim

  • Finding a way to get to the FT line here in the 3rd quarter, great job using the shot fake to get the 2nd trip to the line against ANT

    • I wish he would have gone back to this on a couple of his drives in the 4th quarter

  • He seems to have a little swagger and energy in his step to start this game

    • He REALLY has the mid range going in the 1st half

    • AND the 3P jumper is falling as well (LOVE that Harris turns one down to “one more” to Cade who knocks it down, find your star)

    • Big time make here mid 3rd quarter as ANT continues to make every shot he takes, Cade is asking for the ball and takes and makes it with confidence to answer

    • Has another HUGE answer early in the 4th quarter

  • Couple careless passing TOs

    • Some of his TOs continue to be a lack of appreciation for the recovery effort of these defenders

    • On this one he creates the advantage vs DiVincenzo but simply doesn’t account for him with his dribble

  • HEY! He takes the guidance from THJ and gets in on the charge taking

    • Just another form or rim protection in my book

• DUREN still has room to grow with the consistency of his hand active against the ball screen in drop coverage

  • Has to do better protecting against the pocket pass BUT has a nice recovery on this specific one

  • THIS….is AWESOME “stick hand” activity in the ball screen to protect against the ball handler snaking the screen though, really good stuff

  • Awesome transition post position on Conley here early in the game

    • Draws a foul that may (or may not) end up being a factor BUT I love the process

  • GREAT read on the ANT lob pass to Gobert and just like we highlighted with Stew last game….it leads directly to transition points

    • Think about the moment swing of these plays let alone the actual 4 point swing

• AUSAR making some big time hustle plays to start the game

  • Multiple OREBs already

  • Love how much they are using him as PnR finisher

    • They have also let him initiate the offensive possession more than once as the ball handler

  • Nothing comes from the actions here BUT this is exactly what I want to see from him until the jumper comes around

    • DRIVE the space that they give you by not closing out (if it’s not Gobert it may be a shot attempt), dribble right into a DHO, pass and follow PnR action

  • Feel like his very first screen navigation against ANT was really good but the next two he has gotten hung up on and given him just enough space to get the jumper off

    • He has done a really nice job other than just being a touch better navigating these ball screens because ANT is so darn good shooting the pull up 3P off of them

  • The defensive disruption in this 1st half is just incredible

  • He gets the ball up the court FAST in transition

    • Once he really figures out his decision making he is going to be a problem

  • He has been INCREDIBLE on the boards on both ends of the court

• BEASLEY has struggled from the 3P line in his last two but does not phase him as he knocks down a tough one off the bounce for his first make of this game

  • His 2nd make is a ridiculous one off the bounce as well

    • Has now made back to back C&S off PnP and Ghost Screens

  • Also, he is taking the ANT matchup on the defensive end

    • How about some of his defense tonight! Big time steal on ANT in the 4th quarter

  • Yup…..we talked about this last breakdown….because of his shooting gravity he has to have SOMETHING in the mid range….shot fakes Gobert, gets him in the air and then hits the floater

• STEW floater! Love it, this would be a huge addition for him

  • This one was on the baseline but bigger area would be out of the PnR short roll

    • Not quite a floater but has a tough short roll finish here late in the 3rd quarter that ends up being more of like a little hook shot

    • Has a great short roll pass to Beasley in the weak side corner as well

    • Him continuing to grow in these short roll usages is huge

  • Gives up a trail transition 3PM to Reid, he has to be better than this, feel like we hold Duren to a pretty high standard in this area and Stew has let guys get up a few as well

  • The man protects the rim though!!!

• HARRIS has done a nice job on Randle in one on one situations

  • This is a matchup that kind of suits who he is as an athlete right now

  • Rough 1st half with TOs that included a couple of offensive fouls

  • Continues to be very impactful on the boards

• THJ takes a charge, it’s just what he does

  • He has also had some disruption on ANT here in the 3rd quarter

• HOLLAND doing a nice job being ready to catch and IMMEDIATELY attack from the 3P line against a scrambled defense

Wolves

• Conley, ANT, McDaniels, Randle, Gobert

  • Run an action for Gobert to start the game which I have seen them do multiple times

    • This one is an empty side PnR with Conley

  • In general, I feel like this team has no offensive flow or chemistry

  • Detroit has put two on the ball vs ANT a lot and they just haven’t been able to really make them pay

    • I would assume this is a strategy they will see over and over and over in the playoffs

    • Finally find some success when Randle makes quick decisions in the short roll and finds shooters in the weakside corner (NAW and Reid with corner 3PMs back to back)

• ANT is incredible but I still have questions about his decision making at times

  • The form on his jumper is so beautiful

    • Especially off the dribble

    • I am not sure he has hit the rim yet

    • Goodness gracious, this is a ridiculous display of shot making

  • Not sure how much effort he is giving on the other end of the floor

    • Feel like he has given up 2 or 3 OREBs already in the first 6 minutes of the game

    • When he is locked in he can REALLY guard at the point of attack

  • He puts so much pressure on your defense because you have to overplay him to a ridiculous amount at the 3P line considering his volume and % on those attempts right now

    • And he showed a couple examples in the 1st half of what he is capable of doing at the rim when he does attack all the way

  • He has a little bit of Luka Doncic in this game with all the complaining to the officials after every single shot attempt

• GOBERT changes the trajectory of so many shot attempts

  • He actually make some better short roll passing decisions than I would expect

    • Of course, throws one RIGHT TO Ausar immediately after I type this

  • Seems like the bobbles so many passes and rebounding opportunities (specifically, OREB opportunities)

    • Crazy to say for someone that has as many dunks and OREBs as he does but feel like it happens to him alot

• MCDANIELS making shots for them is such a huge difference maker

  • Simply something he hasn’t done at a great rate so far this season from 3P

  • Has actually been good from 10-16 feet which I assume most of those are off 1 or 2 dribbles

• RANDLE is a good passer but man, the ball really seems to “stick” when it finds him

  • And his teammates don’t seem to move/cut off of him very well either

• NAW is a really good player, not having a great game so far in this one

  • He is one of my favorite players in the NBA

  • Shooting the heck out of the ball as long as what he does defensively

• REID does some nice things off the bounce along with knocking down 3P