The Detroit Pistons are an imperfect roster, but if you had to try and identify its biggest flaw, you might point to Detroit’s roster of big men. Each player is skilled, and some have special abilities not shared by anyone else on the roster. But they also have shortcomings in some form, whether it be rawness, size, or defensive deficiency, you can’t just pluck any two of Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren, Marvin Bagley, or James Wiseman, put them on the floor together, and expect good things to happen.
Stewart has a nascent perimeter game but isn’t much of a threat near the rim. Duren is a very young 20 and has a long way to go on defense before he can be relied on to shut down the paint. Bagley is lethal from within 3 feet, but is built more like a power forward and has his own defensive limitations. James Wiseman has played 1,400 fewer minutes in a three-year career than Jaden Ivey did as a rookie, and it is unclear if he can be a reliable NBA big man despite his size and ability to get to the rim.
The good news is, Monty Williams seems to have a keen understanding of what his big men can do, and what they can’t, despite any consternations you might have seen on social media.
Fans were concerned when some of the first comments about his bigs were indicating that he wanted Jalen Duren working on his power forward skills as a big man who would find himself on the perimeter.
Cue freakout.
This was, fairly, interpreted as a sign that the Pistons organization even under a Monty Williams regime was dedicated to a two-big lineup and were just going to continue to fail over and over again. Visions of Wiseman and Duren sharing the floor and Detroit getting run off the floor invaded everyone’s minds.
Williams, though, quickly atoned as he clearly stated there was a battle in camp for the backup center spot — either Marvin Bagley or James Wiseman would be the reserve behind starter Jalen Duren.
That was more like it.
So how do you square the two statements seemingly at odds. The easiest explanation is that he’s thinking about facing Central Division teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers where Detroit is going to need to defend both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and some big is going to find themselves out on an island near the 3-point line.
The longer explanation, and maybe even more encouraging one, is that it at least hints that he knows what these mismatched bigs do well and what they don’t.
If you ask me who I want as a short-roll passer between Stewart and Duren, I’d say Duren. Same for Duren vs. Bagley. I don’t want any outside of Stewart bothering to shoot 3s, but there is more to being on the perimeter than hoisting the rock. There is the passing. There is also the screening (advantage Duren again).
Duren is not a power forward, but the more power forward things he can add to his game, the more versatile he will be. And he can probably do those things more reliably than either of Detroit’s two backups.
It also hints at Stewart being asked to do more traditional center things on the court, which Williams has hinted at more than once being part of Stewart’s role as opposed to exclusively working as a power forward. That means more emphasis on rebounding and blocking shots and trying to finish inside.
Stewart is a bit undersized at center, but there are many lineup combinations where Stewart at center makes the most sense, especially if the team is trying to maximize the time that Bojan Bogdanovic’s offense and Ausar Thompson’s defense can be on the floor.
If Monty Williams is telling me that Stewart is a small-ball center who will get minutes at power forward, I’ll say I agree.
If Monty Williams is saying that Jalen Duren is a supremely talented center who could also add things to his game more associated with forwards, and that he will find plenty of nights where he has to leave the paint to cover his assignment, I’ll say I agree.
if Monty Williams is being a straight shooter and saying that this team needs one backup center and that it will be either of Marvin Bagley or James Wiseman, I will be ecstatic and relieved.
If Monty Williams is saying that Isaiah Stewart needs to play center because Bojan Bogdanovic is likely best suited to power forward, and Ausar Thompson is best suited to small forward, I will nod my head in total agreement.
The big man rotation is a tough puzzle to solve in Detroit. The decisions there will also have a cascading effect on who is sharing the floor with Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey.
It seems as if even though we haven’t even seen one preseason game with this roster on the floor, Detroit’s new coach is seeing everything with eyes wide open.