{"id":99909,"date":"2024-10-07T18:02:43","date_gmt":"2024-10-07T22:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=99909"},"modified":"2024-10-07T18:02:43","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T22:02:43","slug":"key-takeaways-from-pistons-preseason-win-over-bucks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/07\/key-takeaways-from-pistons-preseason-win-over-bucks\/","title":{"rendered":"Key Takeaways from Pistons&#8217; Preseason Win Over Bucks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The talk and hypotheticals are officially over. The 2024-25 NBA season is back in full effect. For the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/25\/pistons-look-to-prove-themselves-after-jaylen-brown-jab\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Detroit Pistons<\/a>, the preseason offers the perfect chance for players to adjust to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/coaches\/bickejb01c.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">J.B. Bickerstaff&#8217;s<\/a> new system and build chemistry after a rough 68-loss season.<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday night, the Pistons took the floor against the Milwaukee Bucks. With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/antetgi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> absent from the lineup, the Pistons overcame an 18-point deficit to defeat the Bucks, 120-87. It\u2019s common for teams to show some rust in the preseason, and that was evident early on as the Bucks jumped out to a 20-3 lead, hitting five of their first six three-point attempts. But once the Pistons settled in, they dominated, outscoring Milwaukee 117-67 after falling behind by 18 in a gritty performance.<\/p>\n<p>Though preseason games lack regular season importance, they provide valuable insights into team chemistry, strengths, and areas for improvement.\u00a0So, what were the key takeaways from Sunday\u2019s game that could guide the Pistons through the season? Let\u2019s dive in.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Takeaways from Pistons&#8217; Preseason Win Over Bucks<\/h2>\n<h3>Pistons&#8217; Preseason Takeaway: Ron Holland\u2019s Defensive Potential<\/h3>\n<p>Heading into the season, there were <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/27\/did-the-pistons-reach-with-their-first-round-pick-ron-holland\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">questions<\/a> surrounding the selection of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hollaro01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ron Holland<\/a> as the fifth overall pick. With<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thompau01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Ausar Thompson<\/a> drafted just a year prior, many wondered why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/langdtr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trajan Langdon<\/a> would choose a player with a similar profile. However, with Thompson sidelined due to blood clots that kept him out for the final 19 games last season, Holland seized the opportunity to prove his worth.<\/p>\n<p>In 26 minutes, Holland recorded 10 points, six rebounds, and five assists on 4-10 shooting. While his shot wasn\u2019t falling consistently, his defensive intensity was undeniable. Holland was all over the court, disrupting the opposition and wreaking havoc. Early on, he\u2019s showing that he can be a dynamic defensive force. If Holland maintains this energy, Thompson&#8217;s role with the team could face some difficult questions in the future.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ron Holland 10 pts 6 rebs 5 asts vs Bucks 2024 Preseason\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IWD1JMWFJlQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Jaden Ivey\u2019s Three-Point Shooting<\/h3>\n<p>No player on the Pistons\u2019 roster is under more scrutiny right now than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/i\/iveyja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaden Ivey<\/a>. Selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft, Ivey saw a dip in efficiency last season compared to his rookie year. It\u2019s well known that Ivey seems to perform better without <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/cunnica01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cade Cunningham<\/a>, often <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/07\/23\/make-or-break-season-former-pistons-fifth-overall-pick-faces-pressure-jaden-ivey\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">struggling<\/a> to find his rhythm when sharing the backcourt. His below-average three-point shooting has also limited Cunningham\u2019s ability to operate freely on the floor. But if Sunday\u2019s performance is any indication, the Pistons\u2019 offense could start to open up.<\/p>\n<p>In just 23 minutes, Ivey posted 22 points on 7-9 shooting, including a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc. For the first time in a while, Ivey played with the confidence that made him a lottery pick two seasons ago. He was flying up and down the court, showing no hesitation when taking perimeter shots. If you\u2019re a Pistons fan, this is the version of Ivey you want to see consistently.<\/p>\n<h3>The Last Word<\/h3>\n<p>The Pistons\u2019 performance on Sunday night provided a glimpse into the team\u2019s potential for the upcoming season. With Ron Holland emerging as a defensive standout, Jaden Ivey rediscovering his shooting confidence, and the team showing resilience in overcoming an 18-point deficit, there\u2019s reason for optimism in Detroit. While it\u2019s only the preseason, these individual developments could play a crucial role in shaping the Pistons\u2019 success this year. If they continue to build on these early signs, this young roster could surprise many as the season progresses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The talk and hypotheticals are officially over. The 2024-25 NBA season is back in full effect. For the Detroit Pistons, the preseason offers the perfect chance for players to adjust to J.B. Bickerstaff&#8217;s new system and build chemistry after a rough 68-loss season. On Sunday night, the Pistons took the floor against the Milwaukee Bucks. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5168,"featured_media":99939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,10,62],"tags":[3965,3109,4107,4432,49172],"class_list":["post-99909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-pistons","category-nba","tag-cade-cunningham","tag-j-b-bickerstaff","tag-jaden-ivey","tag-jalen-duren","tag-ron-holland"],"modified_by":"Kenny Kluska","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99909"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99909\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}