Pistons vs. Nets preview: The wrong kind of history on the line for Detroit tonight

At this point, NBA infamy feels inevitable. The Detroit Pistons, losers of 25 straight games, don’t seem any closer to figuring things out or putting a better product on the floor. The staters can sometimes play well, but the Pistons bench is so far from being able to tread water that any move to the bench sees the Pistons outscored by double digits in quick succession. Maybe with the wrong kind of history on the line, they can dig deep and figure it out. Maybe with a terrible NBA record on deck and increased scrutiny throughout the league, Monty Williams will ride his starters for 44-plus minutes each. Maybe they can simply get lucky. The fact they couldn’t beat the Utah Jazz sitting most of its best players doesn’t exactly fill me with hope. We’ll see.

Game Vitals

When: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Watch: Bally Sports Detroit Extra
Odds: Pistons +9.5

Analysis

Killian Hayes should be back. Is that a good thing? It means that Jaden Ivey likely gets displaced from the starting lineup. But it also means that Jaden Ivey becomes a competent, reliable scoring option should head coach Monty Williams allow it. Ivey could help counter having Ausar Thompson on the floor, with both being able to use their speed to score in transition and create easy opportunities near the basket. If the Pistons go with their standard starting five of Killian, Cade Cunningham, Bojan Bogdanovic, Isaiah Stewart, and Marvin Bagley, and then they bring Ausar and Ivey off the bench. Then they sub out Bagley first, move Stewart to center, that creates opportunities to play only a couple wings off the bench. A seven- or eight-man rotation feels like the maximum the Pistons can rely on. What the Pistons really, need, honestly, is to havev Bojan Bogdanovic step up his game simliar to how Cade Cunningham has really locked in the past few games. A game with Bojan hitting six three-pointers is a game the Pistons can win. Not will win. Not should win. But can win. That’s about the best we can hope for.