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Winners of 15 of their last 19 games and coming off a statement win against the Clippers, who might be the NBA’s best team at the moment, the Cavs stay home for a game against possibly the worst team - the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons have the NBA's worst record at 6-40. They are 2-19 on the road, with the two wins coming against 10-35 Charlotte and 9-37 Washington. That’s right, the best team the Pistons have defeated on the road this year has 10 wins.
So on paper this should be a laugher, but the Cavs need to be careful of complacency. The Pistons are playing better lately.
Pistons. Yes, the Pistons! Of Detroit! They beat the Thunder this past weekend and have won two of their last three games, and Cade Cunningham only played in the loss after returning. The 6-40 Pistons (last in the East, if you’re guessing) are four wins away from avoiding history. - The Athletic
Since January 15 the Pistons lost at home to powerhouses Minnesota and Milwaukee by 6, 7, and 9 points. They were competitive against two of the league’s strongest teams and then beat OKC on Sunday 120-104, also at home. The Cavs need to take this team seriously, even if they are 2-19 on the road with both wins coming against teams almost as bad as they are.
The Pistons are pretty good offensively right now, averaging 117.4 points per game in January which would be 12th best in the NBA if they did it for a full season. The Pistons are shooting 48.5% overall and 33.4% on 3’s in January. For the season they rank 24th in scoring, so they’ve improved a lot in recent weeks.
The Pistons shoot fewer 3’s than all but one team and their 3-point percentage ranks 25th. They are tied for last with 10.9 made 3’s per game. They also are third worst at turnover percentage. Lots of turnovers and few made 3’s is a bad combination, but they are 8th in points in the paint per game. It’s their only strong point offensively. With both Mobley and Allen in the lineup it should be tough for the Pistons to score at the rim, however, so the Cavs seem to match up well against their offense, which depends on inside scoring.
Defense is the Pistons’ biggest problem as they rank 27th in points allowed per game, 26th in points in the paint, 25th in opponents’ 3-point percentage, 28th in opponents’ free throws per play, and last in steals. They’re slightly above average in defensive rebounding percentage, but otherwise they’re a bad defensive team across the board. Obviously they foul a lot.
Veteran SF Bojan Bogdanovic, who is a likely trade target for several teams, is averaging 21.3 points per game in January, shooting 48% overall and a blistering 45.5% on 3’s. PG Cade Cunningham averages 18 points and 8.2 assists in January, but he’s only played 5 of 14 games due to a knee issue they are managing. With two days off I except Cade will play tonight.
SG Alec Burks, a former Cav, îs averaging 17.9 points in January on 45% overall and a scalding 47% on 3’s. He’s another player that should be traded due to age, productivity, and contract status. PG Jaden Ivey, the 5th pick in the 2022 draft, is averaging 17.4 ppg in January and C Jalen Duren, who just turned 20 in November, is averaging 15.4 points and 12.1 rebounds in January. PF Isaiah Stewart averages 13.7 points but he is out tonight.
The ESPN depth chart has the backup power forward as Ausar Thompson, who was the 5th pick in the 2023 draft. Thompson is only 6’6”, 205, so Mobley and Wade will have a big height advantage. Thompson is averaging 8.3 points in 24 minutes. He’s not a 3-point shooter. I haven't seen him but he looks like an Isaac Okoro clone on paper. Same size, shaky outside shot, and #5 picks. There are similarities.
Cunningham, Ivey, and Duren seem to be core pieces as all three are very young and very talented. Duren, 6’10” and 250 pounds, had 22 points and 21 rebounds in the Pistons’ impressive win over OKC on Sunday. He’s making 66% of his shots this year. Bogdanovic is 34 and Burks 32 so they both need to be traded for draft picks or younger players.
The Pistons have had two days off and they are playing well offensively at the moment. Burks and Bogdanovic are both hitting 45-47% of their 3’s this month. But once you get past their top six players there’s not much there. They are bad defensively, struggle to hit 3’s, and turn the ball over a lot. But they are dangerous, although mostly at home, where they have 4 of their 6 wins and some close losses to very good teams in the last couple of weeks.
Darius Garland should make his return, although with limited minutes, so Cavs’ fans will be looking to see what the new rotations are and whose minutes are reduced to make time for Darius. For the first time in six weeks the Cavs will have all their main guys available.
The Cavs mainly need to guard against sloppiness and overconfidence, because those are the only things that can beat them against this team. On paper this is the easiest game on the schedule this year.
So on paper this should be a laugher, but the Cavs need to be careful of complacency. The Pistons are playing better lately.
Pistons. Yes, the Pistons! Of Detroit! They beat the Thunder this past weekend and have won two of their last three games, and Cade Cunningham only played in the loss after returning. The 6-40 Pistons (last in the East, if you’re guessing) are four wins away from avoiding history. - The Athletic
Since January 15 the Pistons lost at home to powerhouses Minnesota and Milwaukee by 6, 7, and 9 points. They were competitive against two of the league’s strongest teams and then beat OKC on Sunday 120-104, also at home. The Cavs need to take this team seriously, even if they are 2-19 on the road with both wins coming against teams almost as bad as they are.
The Pistons are pretty good offensively right now, averaging 117.4 points per game in January which would be 12th best in the NBA if they did it for a full season. The Pistons are shooting 48.5% overall and 33.4% on 3’s in January. For the season they rank 24th in scoring, so they’ve improved a lot in recent weeks.
The Pistons shoot fewer 3’s than all but one team and their 3-point percentage ranks 25th. They are tied for last with 10.9 made 3’s per game. They also are third worst at turnover percentage. Lots of turnovers and few made 3’s is a bad combination, but they are 8th in points in the paint per game. It’s their only strong point offensively. With both Mobley and Allen in the lineup it should be tough for the Pistons to score at the rim, however, so the Cavs seem to match up well against their offense, which depends on inside scoring.
Defense is the Pistons’ biggest problem as they rank 27th in points allowed per game, 26th in points in the paint, 25th in opponents’ 3-point percentage, 28th in opponents’ free throws per play, and last in steals. They’re slightly above average in defensive rebounding percentage, but otherwise they’re a bad defensive team across the board. Obviously they foul a lot.
Veteran SF Bojan Bogdanovic, who is a likely trade target for several teams, is averaging 21.3 points per game in January, shooting 48% overall and a blistering 45.5% on 3’s. PG Cade Cunningham averages 18 points and 8.2 assists in January, but he’s only played 5 of 14 games due to a knee issue they are managing. With two days off I except Cade will play tonight.
SG Alec Burks, a former Cav, îs averaging 17.9 points in January on 45% overall and a scalding 47% on 3’s. He’s another player that should be traded due to age, productivity, and contract status. PG Jaden Ivey, the 5th pick in the 2022 draft, is averaging 17.4 ppg in January and C Jalen Duren, who just turned 20 in November, is averaging 15.4 points and 12.1 rebounds in January. PF Isaiah Stewart averages 13.7 points but he is out tonight.
The ESPN depth chart has the backup power forward as Ausar Thompson, who was the 5th pick in the 2023 draft. Thompson is only 6’6”, 205, so Mobley and Wade will have a big height advantage. Thompson is averaging 8.3 points in 24 minutes. He’s not a 3-point shooter. I haven't seen him but he looks like an Isaac Okoro clone on paper. Same size, shaky outside shot, and #5 picks. There are similarities.
Cunningham, Ivey, and Duren seem to be core pieces as all three are very young and very talented. Duren, 6’10” and 250 pounds, had 22 points and 21 rebounds in the Pistons’ impressive win over OKC on Sunday. He’s making 66% of his shots this year. Bogdanovic is 34 and Burks 32 so they both need to be traded for draft picks or younger players.
The Pistons have had two days off and they are playing well offensively at the moment. Burks and Bogdanovic are both hitting 45-47% of their 3’s this month. But once you get past their top six players there’s not much there. They are bad defensively, struggle to hit 3’s, and turn the ball over a lot. But they are dangerous, although mostly at home, where they have 4 of their 6 wins and some close losses to very good teams in the last couple of weeks.
Darius Garland should make his return, although with limited minutes, so Cavs’ fans will be looking to see what the new rotations are and whose minutes are reduced to make time for Darius. For the first time in six weeks the Cavs will have all their main guys available.
The Cavs mainly need to guard against sloppiness and overconfidence, because those are the only things that can beat them against this team. On paper this is the easiest game on the schedule this year.
