The Detroit Pistons came away with the impressive win over the Boston Celtics in their home opener on Sunday. Despite a slow start to the game, the Pistons slowly got into it, established control, and pulled away in the second half.
The biggest drivers of their success in the second half were their size, physicality, and rebounding, demonstrated by their 18 offensive rebounds and 36 free throw attempts. The Celtics couldn't deal with Detroit's interior presence, resorting to fouling and constantly sending Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson to the line.
Going forward, head coach JB Bickerstaff has to embrace this identity and knock heads inside. To do that, the Pistons need to lean into their size even more. That means they can't forget Paul Reed on the bench anymore.
Pistons Must Embrace Their Size by Playing Paul Reed More
Reed had an excellent game against the Rockets earlier in the week. Getting a bigger role after Duren's ejection, Reed showed what makes him special, getting five offensive rebounds on his way to 13 points and nine boards in only 19 minutes of action. He also had a key game-sealing block on Alperen Sengun in the fourth quarter.
Despite this performance, Reed went back to a DNP-Coach's Decision on Sunday. Duren and Isaiah Stewart shared the 48 minutes at center. Both big men played very well and deserve to keep their minutes. What Bickerstaff needs to do is to find more minutes to play two bigs together.
Duren and Stewart only shared the floor for a brief period in the first half. Bickerstaff doesn't like playing two bigs generally, but that is a way this Pistons team can make a difference. They have three rotation-worthy centers in Duren, Stewart, and Reed, and playing two of them at the same time will give them big, physical lineups that are very hard to deal with.
This Pistons team will never be a high-level offensive team, especially in the half-court. There is simply not enough shooting or offensive juice outside of Cade Cunningham to get there. Therefore, they need to find points in transition and second-chance opportunities.
The Pistons need to crash the glass, force turnovers, and intimidate opponents by being bigger, stronger, and more relentless than them. That is what Reed brings to the table, and the Pistons need to lean in to what makes them special.