Pistons vs. Hawks preview: First look at number one overall pick

I should be starting off this preview talking about the Pistons 3-game winning streak, but because they could not box out Brandon Miller, they are looking to bounce back from a tough loss.

Some home cooking can definitely help and playing a Hawks team that is better than the Pistons, but not significantly, also helps.

The Pistons have been battle tested by some of the better teams in the league in the early part of the season and enter this contest with a chance to tie their win total from the 2023 portion of the 2023-2024 season (4 wins).

I wouldn’t call this game a must-win game, but it is a winnable game and the next step in the development of this young team is winning games that are winnable.

Game Vitals

Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI
When: Friday, November 8 at 7 pm EST
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons (-1.5)

Analysis

After earning the number 1 pick after an appearance in the Play-In Tournament last season, the Hawks remade their roster a bit. They had a team capable of consistently making the Play-In tournament but not being able to do much beyond that. They sent out Dejounte Murray and started to remake the team with perimeter defenders to cover up for Trae Young. The biggest piece in that trade was Dyson Daniels, who is known for his strong defense and is now able to take the tougher backcourt matchup and allow Trae Young to focus on offense.

As I mentioned above, the Hawks also earned the number one overall pick and took Zaccharie Risacher out of France. While many draft pundits did not agree with the decision to take him with the first pick, he does have an ideal modern wing skillset and is starting to come into his own. In last Wednesday’s win over the New York Knicks, he had 33 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. He can shoot the ball and defend on the wing well with his 6’8” frame.

The offensive engine of the Hawks is obviously Trae Young, who is currently 2nd in the league with 10.9 assists per game. However, there is less scoring pressure on him now due to the breakout of Jalen Johnson last season. Johnson is building off of last year’s breakout sporting averages of 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists so far this season. He can be trusted to take over the offensive burden when Trae Young is not in the game.

It is tough to say whether the Hawks are better or worse than they were last year. They enter this game 4-5, which is on pace to be in the Play-In range once again. I think long term the team will be better, since a lot of the players they added are still developing, but the current version of the Pistons are a pretty even matchup for them.

The Pistons have generally played the Hawks pretty tough over the last couple seasons despite being the inferior team. This will be a great opportunity to get a bounce back win after Wednesday night’s heartbreak.

The Pistons could be without Jalen Duren, who is a game-time decision with an ankle injury suffered on Wednesday. However, Paul Reed saw his first consistent minutes of the season and was very good in relief of Duren. He had 13 points and did not miss a shot from the field. If Duren is out, I would expect Isaiah Stewart to start and Paul Reed to play in relief of him.

Luckily, the Hawks don’t have a huge frontcourt as their two centers are Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu, who are both under 7 feet. Neither player really has a perimeter-oriented game, which would be beneficial for Jalen Duren if he somehow is able to play.

Somebody in the Pistons backcourt will draw the Trae Young matchup, and whoever that is will need to take advantage of his lack of size and defense. If I had to guess, I would say the Hawks will matchup Dyson Daniels with Cade Cunningham, leaving Jaden Ivey on Trae Young. If that is the case, a huge game from Jaden Ivey will be necessary to win.

I wouldn’t call this game a “must-win” for the Pistons, but if you want to be taken seriously as a team, you have to win the games at home against teams that will likely be in your tier by the end of the season.