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Detroit Pistons: Tough Road Trip Ahead

By Aaron Ferguson

Nov 17, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit won 104-99. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 17, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit won 104-99. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Detroit Pistons are going on the road for a three-game trip against three of the Eastern Conference’s toughest teams.

The Detroit Pistons are set to go on their third longest road trip of the season, a three-game trip. The trip is against three of the Eastern Conference’s toughest teams, including the Chicago Bulls (15-8), the Miami Heat (15-9) and the Atlanta Hawks (15-12).

The Pistons’ three opponents have a combined record of 45-29 this season. They are all separated by two games in the Eastern Conference standings. The Pistons are also in the middle of that mix with a 15-12 record, and are three games back of the conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Pistons went on a six-game West coast road trip early in the season and traveled home with a 2-4 record and a four-game losing streak. Since then, they have played 12 out of their 17 games at The Palace. This upcoming three-game road trip that begins on Friday will be challenging for the young Pistons team.

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First-year head coach Fred Hoiberg has a lot of talent on the Bulls roster. Jimmy Butler is averaging 20.8 points per game and will be a tough assignment. Pau Gasol continues to play great with 15.1 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Derrick Rose has had a resurgence and is averaging 13.1 points and 5.5 assists per game. With all the talent on the Bulls roster, Hoiberg keeps a deep bench. They will typically use nine guys on any given night.

The emergence of Doug McDermott has created matchup problems for some teams. McDermott, a second-year player, is averaging 9.3 points per game and is shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 44.6 percent from three-point range. He is best suited at the small forward position, but also has the ability to play power forward. McDermott is able to stretch the floor and is a lethal shooter.

Pistons’ guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will likely be assigned to defend against Butler. Andre Drummond will have his hands full against Gasol and Joakim Noah, who has taken a reduced role. The key matchup will be how point guard Reggie Jackson defends against Rose.

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    • The Pistons won a 98-94 defensive matchup early in the season against the Bulls. They received great scoring output from Marcus Morris, Jackson and Drummond in that contest.

    The Heat are a legitimate threat to win the Eastern conference this season. They are playing great team basketball. The Heat have six different players averaging double figures, and Tyler Johnson is on the outside looking in with 9.1 points per game.

    Among the talented scorers are Dwayne Wade (18.3 PPG) and Chris Bosh (17.3 PPG), who are continuing to lead the team since the separation of the Big Three. Wade will likely draw the match up of KCP defensively, but Bosh provides a tough matchup. Bosh can stretch the floor with three-point range, but he is best suited in the post or with his midrange jumper. Ersan Ilyasova will likely draw Bosh defensively because of his athleticism and ability to stretch the floor.

    The Heat will typically go four deep in their bench, which provides a lot of production. The Pistons bench is going to have to step up both on offense and defense against the Heat.

    In the Pistons’ 104-81 win against the Heat, they held Wade to two points and Bosh to nine points. Only three Heat players were in double figures.

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    The Hawks also provide a difficult matchup because of the way they play team basketball. They have five players averaging double figures, excluding Kyle Korver‘s 9.9 points per game. Paul Millsap (18.1 PPG), Jeff Teague (15.6 PPG) and Al Horford (15.1 PPG) make up 48.4 percent of the team’s total scoring.

    KCP will likely defend against the Hawks’ point guards in Teague and Dennis Schroder. Schroder torched the Pistons for 20 in their opening night matchup. However, he could also defend against Kent Bazemore, who has been great offensively and defensively for the Hawks.

    The Pistons won 106-94 against the Hawks to open up the season. They did so by having five starters score more than 15 points a piece. It will be tough to replicate the same production for the Pistons, but it will be necessary to end the road trip on a high note.

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    The Pistons will certainly face one of the toughest stretches to this point in the season. With the Eastern Conference so tight, all three games are crucial with potential playoff implications on the line. It’s going to be tough for the Pistons to continue their strong pace, having won 10 of their last 13 games.

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