The Pistons are 2-1 after dominating the second half of the Milwaukee Bucks game and splitting 2 games against the Phoenix games. Here are some things that we can gather about the team so far.

STEWART’S BENCH ROLE

Stewart is flourishing in his backup Center role. He appears to be comfortable protecting the rim, getting rebounds,  and picking his spots to be able contribute offensively. The burden of having to preserve his fouls and create for himself are no longer there. He’ll have more freedom to throw his weight around knowing that there are more competent options around him. The development of his outside shooting will continue to help him be successful even in the more limited role.

IVEY IS BACK

Ivey jumped out the gate strong with two valiant efforts. The confident and explosive version of himself has reappeared. He has attacked all the 3 levels, competed on defense and made his presence known in all facets of the game. He started a little slow in the 3rd game against Phoenix with the early aggression of Tobias Harris being more of a factor. But inspire of that, Ivey was still able to pick his spots and contribute an efficient 16 points in the game on 59% from the field. The most electric of those buckets being an alley oop dunk in transition from the hands of Tim Hardaway Jr. What’s going to make his life easier is being active in transition. With a full head of steam nobody is going to be able to stop him with out sending him to the line.

HOLLAND’S GRITTY DEFENSE

Offensively Holland has gotten off to a slow start. He has averaged 9 points, which isn’t all that bad but the majority have come on drives to the basket and transition opportunities. Where he has made an early impact is on the defensive end. Holland has picked a few pockets already and has also gotten into a few minor scrums on loose ball plays with veteran players such as Damion Lee and Royce O’neal. With Ausar Thompson still sidelined with health concerns Holland can definitely carve out a nice role providing gritty defensive minutes.

Royce O'Neale and Ron Holland wouldn’t give up the ball. 😂

pic.twitter.com/GmOtKHhIHC

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 12, 2024

CONCERNS

This parlays into the biggest concerns the Pistons still have going into the regular season. While they have shored up some holes at the spot up shooting position with guys like Fontechio, Beasely, Hardaway, and Harris. They still lack athletic explosive players outside of Holland and Ivey. They’ll likely struggle to contain the likes of Durant’s, Bookers, and Lillards. Albeit these are some of the best in the world, this is a league ran by the stars and if you can’t combat that with any type of resistance it’s going to be a tough go for you. The return of their second year defensive stud Ausar Thompson will be a welcomed sight, and could springboard Detroit to an even better position.