Pistons vs. Nets preview: Can Pistons shooters stay on hot pace

After an early season blowout to the New York Knicks, the Detroit Pistons jump on a flight to New York to take on another Atlantic division foe, the Brooklyn Nets.

Detroit came out flat Friday night after snagging their first win of the season vs the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. After the Knicks punched them in the face, the Pistons should come out and compete with some much-needed intensity in a game that seemed like a sure thing when the schedule dropped in August.

Game Vitals

When: Sunday, November 3 at 3:30 pm EST

Where: Barclays Center, New York

Watch: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit

Odds: Pistons +3.5

Analysis

Most thought the Brooklyn Nets would be a doormat team this season— the type of team you play that’ll help you get back on track when you’re struggling as a unit. Brooklyn may revert to that team down the line, but that’s not the case today.

The Nets have a plus-2.5 point differential through six games, ranking higher than the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Lakers. Brooklyn is staying in games due to Cam Thomas’s brilliant shotmaking.

Cam Thomas is the definition of “that boy nice.” He’s a frequent midrange firer. Cutting off a player’s drive usually works in the defense’s favor, but Thomas prefers settling for tough middies. He’s 7/14 on long midrange shots. Thomas is a big-time daggermaker, too. He’s comfortable taking shots from anywhere on the floor.

Is Thomas an empty stats player? In theory, it’s easy to say yes. It’s easy to paint him as a good stats, bad team guy. But we’ve seen him dominate as a 6-foot-3 super scorer before. Thomas averaged 23 a game last year, but that’s a far cry from his current 28 PPG and 59 TS% averages. He’s spearheading the number 4 offense in the association. Thomas does have help from a jumbo playmaker who’s finding his groove.

Ben Simmons has been scrutinized up to this point in his NBA career. With the injuries piling up and his reluctance to shoot the ball from range, it’s unlikely the former #1 pick will reach superstar status again. He is no longer the dominant downhill force he once was, but Simmons is still a plus playmaker and defender. Simmons is listed as questionable headed into Sunday’s matchup. Brooklyn would be without their best point of attack defender if he cant lace them up.

He’s the perfect point guard to play next to an I-just-want-to-score guard like Cam Thomas. Dennis Schroeder is also playing his tail off. He’s off to a blistering start from 3, shooting 56% from deep. That doesn’t seem sustainable, as Schroeder hasn’t been an efficient high-volume 3-point shooter throughout his career. It’ll slide down a bit, and maybe that will start against the Pistons.

Maybe is doing a lot of stretching as teams are shooting 38% from 3 vs. the Pistons. The lack of adequate perimeter defenders leads to constant breakdowns, which leads to open triples. Ron Holland is the best perimeter defender in the absence of Asuar Thompson, but he’s raw offensively. The silver lining in this one? Teams catch fire vs. Brooklyn, too, so the Pistons shooters should do damage.

Shooting has been an area with which Pistons fans must be pleased. After the lack of spacing was discussed day in and out last year, Detroit currently sits in the top 10 for 3-point shooting. Here’s how their top 6 shooters are letting it fly:

Malik Beasley: 37% on 7.2 3PA

Cade Cunningham: 41% on 6.5

Tim Hardaway Jr: 49% on 6.2

Jaden Ivey: 44% on 5.3

Tobias Harris: 18% on 3.7

Simone Fontecchio: 33% on 3.5

Progress is not linear, and the shooting is a great sign. This is exactly what Hardaway Jr. and Beasley have done throughout their NBA tenures; they’re stamped marksmen. Cade and Ivey are actively reshaping the narrative surrounding their jump shots, proving they can be accurate from 3 with a nice size volume.

Tek is too good a shooter to keep struggling like this. His 10-point fourth quarter against the Knicks could do wonders for his confidence—hopefully, he just needed to see the ball go through the hoop a few times. Harris has never been Steph Curry from three, but 18%? He’s better than that, especially from the corners. For the past nine seasons, Harris has shot 40% or better from the corners.

Cade and Ivey do an incredible job creating open looks for the shotmakers, even though turnovers remain an issue. The Pistons are turning it over more frequently than anybody else, except the winless Utah Jazz. I’ll continue to harp on the nonsensical turnovers. Playmakers inherently turn it over getting others involved, but losing the ball going behind your back like you’re playing for fun against your little cousin can’t happen.

The Nets aren’t a cakewalk team, but the Pistons must still approach this game looking too make their mark. They’ve shown they can compete with anybody for a while now. This is the type of game you go win, not just play them close. Cade Cunningham has all the tools to be the best player on the floor this afternoon; go do it from start to finish.