Detroit — In Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Jerami Grant had the hardest assignment on the floor, having to guard two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and then be guarded by the former defensive player of the year.
For the most part, Grant handled the matchup well, but in the first two minutes of the game, he showed that he can vary his game. Grant has been involved in a ton of isolation plays early in the season, but when he found himself open, he took advantage.
Grant had a pair of 3-pointers in the opening minutes, and it was emblematic of the way coach Dwane Casey wants the offense to run, with the ball moving quickly to find the open man.
“That’s been his challenge. He’s a great isolation player, and one-on-one, he can get (baskets). There are going to be times in the game where we need that, but in the flow of the game to keep our offense going and having that (quick-moving) mentality, I thought he started that last night,” Casey said Wednesday. “He had an opportunity to go iso but he caught it and moved it and that kind of triggered everything.
“It’s very important that he — and even Saddiq (Bey) sometimes when they run him off (the 3-point line) sometimes to get off of it, get it to the weak side and that will help us. That started with last night. We’ve got to have that from him, because he’s going to have the ball a lot.”
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Grant has had some good scoring nights this season, and although the Pistons have been struggling with their shooting as a team, Grant hasn’t fallen off quite as much. He’s at 39% from the field and 31% on 3-pointers, which aren’t alarming dips from last season.
Cade Cunningham’s slump continued, from his 1-of-8 shooting in his first game, against the Orlando Magic to Tuesday’s 2-of-14 performance. He’s missed all 14 of his 3-point attempts, but Casey isn’t concerned about it being an issue.
“He didn’t turn down shots, pump-fake and drive when he had a wide-open shot. I told the guys today, ‘If you don’t pump-fake and drive a shot, you’d better make that next one or you’re going to be in trouble,’” Casey said. “We’ve got to take those shots and they’re going to fall. You don’t forget how to shoot the ball, and I’ve been trying as a coach not to make a big deal out of it, because it’s like everything else where you overthink it, and it’s something guys have been doing all their career.
“I’m concerned but not overly concerned. I’m more concerned about making sure we pass the ball, screen properly, space properly, and make sure we rebound properly defensively. Doing all the fundamentals are the areas I’m more concerned about than making shots right now.”
Casey has reiterated that the analytics show that the Pistons are getting good shots, but they’re simply not making them. That’s of some consequence for a team that shot 8-of-47 from beyond the arc and has struggled with 3-point shooting in each game this season.
Formidable foes
The Pistons’ 1-6 start is a bit disappointing, but one look at the schedule should be a reminder that the Pistons have played one of the toughest slates in the league and their shooting woes didn’t help with the effort.
The veterans have noted that there are no hanging heads about the losses, even though they’re piling up quickly in the first couple of weeks.
“I think we’re a little down but we just played three or four teams that are championship-level teams, and we’re still young and we’re still learning,” forward Trey Lyles said. “I think in the locker room, we’ve got to use these games to propel us to the rest of the season. It’s still really early, and we’re seven games in, so we’ve got 75 games left.
“We’re not even anywhere close to the season coming to an end. Shooting is going to come. We just have to continue to get shots up in the gym. We’re not going to shoot 8-for-47 probably ever again this season — hopefully. So, I think everybody knows that we’re going to be all right.”
No limits for Cunningham
Cunningham didn’t have a restriction in Tuesday’s game and played 29 minutes, much more than the 19 minutes he played in his first game. The injured ankle looks to be feeling better, as he was able to play significantly more.
He didn’t appear on the injury report for Thursday’s game against the Sixers, so he’s likely not to be limited in playing time. Whether Cunningham plays in the back-to-back on Friday will be the next step.
rod.beard@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard
76ers at Pistons
► Tip-off: 7 p.m. Thursday, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
► TV/radio: BSD-Plus/950
► Outlook: The Pistons (1-6) have lost two straight and play the Sixers for the second time in a week, following a 110-102 loss in Philadelphia. Tobias Harris (health and safety protocols) remains out of the lineup.