Pistons' Tim Hardaway: Struggles in spot-start Friday
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Hardaway closed with three points (1-5 FG, 0-4 3PT, 1-1 FT), two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 22 minutes during Friday's preseason victory.
Hardaway replaced Malik Beasley in the starting lineup but offered very little in terms of tangible production. Brought over to Detroit to provide the team with floor-spacing, Hardaway could be a viable streaming candidate, in theory. Unfortunately, his offensive upside is very limited and in recent times, he has been woeful from the field. Despite starting here, Hardaway will likely begin the season on the bench, making him a non-factor outside of very deep formats.
Cunningham tabled 25 points (10-16 FG, 1-4 3PT, 4-4 FT), 12 rebounds, nine assists and two steals in 31 minutes during Friday's 109-91 preseason win over Phoenix.
After a slow start to his preseason, Cunningham came alive Friday, falling one assist short of a triple-double. It was a dominant performance by Cunningham, reminding fantasy managers just what he is capable of when healthy. Despite an injury-plagued career to this point, Cunningham remains one of the more exciting players in the league. The Pistons have made some savvy moves during the offseason in the hopes of at least being competitive. Managers should cross their fingers that Cunningham can stay on the floor and that Detroit stays relevant beyond February.
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Pistons' Tobias Harris: Vintage performance in win
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Harris finished with 22 points (8-13 FG, 2-4 3PT, 4-5 FT), five rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block in 27 minutes during Friday's 104-91 preseason win over the Suns.
Harris suited up for the first time this preseason, delivering a vintage performance for his new team. Despite nearing the twilight of his career, Harris should be able to function as the teams' second or third option on offense, while also providing veteran leadership to their young core. Managers should feel safe targeting him in the fifth or sixth rounds of drafts.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Doesn't play Friday
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Thompson (illness) didn't play in Friday's 109-91 preseason win over the Suns.
Thompson has yet to be cleared, and it's unclear if he'll see the court during the preseason. The Pistons have two more preseason games left before their Opening Night matchup against the Pacers on Oct. 23.
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Pistons' Bobi Klintman: Out Friday
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Klintman (calf) will not play in Friday's exhibition matchup with the Suns.
Klintman's absence will mark his third straight, as he has yet to suit up this preseason. His next opportunity to debut will come Sunday in Golden State.
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Pistons' Simone Fontecchio: Playing reserve role Friday
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Fontecchio will come off the bench in Friday's exhibition contest in Phoenix, Shane Young of Forbes.com reports.
Fonteccio started at power forward in the Pistons' first two preseason games with Tobias Harris (illness) sidelined. The latter is returning Friday, so Fonteccio will return to his projected role as a depth frontcourt presence
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Pistons' Tobias Harris: Available, will start Friday
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Harris (COVID-19) is available and in the starting lineup for Friday's preseason game against the Suns, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press.
Harris was expected to be available after he acknowledged to be feeling better in recent days, and the veteran forward will start in the frontcourt alongside Tim Hardaway and Jalen Duren. This will be Harris' first appearance in the preseason.
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Pistons' Malik Beasley: Not starting Friday
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Beasley will play a reserve role in Friday's tilt against the Suns, Shane Young of Forbes.com reports.
Beasley and Tim Hardaway have each gotten one start at small forward in Detroit's first two exhibition contests. The latter will get the nod Friday. Beasley projects to be one of the first players, and a spark, off the bench for the Pistons once the regular-season tips off.
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Pistons' Tim Hardaway: Gets starting nod Friday
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Hardaway is in the starting lineup for Friday's preseason game against the Suns, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports.
The Pistons are tweaking their starting unit for this matchup, and Hardaway will replace Malik Beasley in the lineup. This will be Hardaway's second start of the preseason, but all signs point to him opening the regular season against the Pacers on Oct. 23 on a bench role.
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Pistons' Tobias Harris: Could return Friday
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Harris (COVID-19) said he is feeling better and is questionable for Friday's matchup against the Suns, Omari Sankofa of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Harris missed the beginning of the preseason after being diagnosed with COVID-19. If the 32-year-old can't go Friday, his next chance to suit up will come Sunday versus the Warriors.
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Pistons' Jaden Ivey: Drops 16 points in preseason loss
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Ivey scored 16 points (6-13 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 3-3 FT) while adding five assists, four rebounds and a steal in 23 minutes during Tuesday's 105-97 preseason loss to the Suns
The fifth overall pick in the 2022 Draft has had a strong start to the exhibition schedule, as he looks to prove he has a place in Detroit's future plans. Ivey should be set as the team's starting two-guard alongside Cade Cunningham to begin the season, but the former will either need to improve his scoring efficiency significantly or become an asset on the defensive end of the court, or both. If he doesn't, Ivey may lose minutes to the likes of Tim Hardaway, Malik Beasley and Simone Fontecchio.
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Pistons' Jalen Duren: Hits for 17 against Suns
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Duren scored 17 points (6-9 FG, 5-6 FT) while adding six rebounds and an assist in 23 minutes during Tuesday's 105-97 preseason loss to the Suns
Duren led the Pistons in scoring and rebounding on a night when both Tobias Harris and Ausar Thompson were sidelined by illness. Duren's production took a big step forward in his second NBA campaign, averaging 13.8 points and 11.6 boards over 61 regular-season games in 2023-24. Detroit's new-look frontcourt could give the 20-year-old even more freedom to crash the glass when it's at full strength.
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Pistons' Bobi Klintman: Remains out Tuesday
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Klintman (calf) will remain sidelined from preseason action Tuesday night against the Suns.
Klintman has yet to play in a preseason game due to his calf injury. However, his next opportunity to play will be Friday in Phoenix.
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Pistons' Ausar Thompson: Remains out
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Thompson (illness) has yet to be cleared by the NBA and won't play in Tuesday's preseason contest against the Suns, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Thomson continues to recover from treatment for a blood clot and has been limited in training camp. While Thompson's next chance to suit up is Friday's preseason rematch with Phoenix, he will need to be medically cleared before taking the floor.
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Pistons' Tim Hardaway: Retreats to bench Tuesday
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Hardaway will come off the bench in Tuesday's preseason game against the Suns, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Hardaway started in the club's preseason opener against the Bucks on Sunday, but he will retreat to the bench with Malik Beasley entering the starting five. Hardaway is expected to provide a spark off the bench during the regular season, and he will likely compete for minutes with Beasley and Marcus Sasser behind Jaden Ivey.
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Pistons' Malik Beasley: Gets starting nod
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Beasley is in the starting five for Tuesday's preseason game versus the Suns, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Beasley will replace Tim Hardaway in the starting lineup Tuesday after coming off the bench in Detroit's preseason opener. Beasley started in 77 of his 79 appearances for Milwaukee last season before signing a one-year deal with the Pistons this offseason.
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Pistons' Tobias Harris: Remains out Tuesday
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Harris (illness) won't play in Tuesday's preseason game against the Suns, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Harris will miss a second straight exhibition due to an illness. His next chance to make his Pistons debut will come Friday in Phoenix.
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Pistons' Aaron Estrada: Joins Detroit for camp
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Estrada and the Pistons agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract Monday.
Estrada put up averages of 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals across 31.0 minutes in 37 games for Alabama last season. He's expected to be a candidate to play for the Motor City Cruise in the G League.
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Pistons' Marcus Sasser: Productive off bench Sunday
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Sasser finished with 12 points (4-8 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT), two rebounds, nine assists and two steals across 19 minutes off the bench in Sunday's 120-87 preseason win over the Bucks.
Sasser's best chance to see steady minutes in the regular season will be to operate as Cade Cunningham's backup, and he certainly made his presence felt as a playmaker Sunday by dishing out a team-high nine assists. Sasser averaged 8.3 points and 3.3 assists across 19.0 minutes per game in 71 regular-season appearances as a rookie in 2023-24. However, he figures to experience an uptick in his numbers if he can carve out a larger role in Year 2.
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Pistons' Cade Cunningham: Poor shooting in preseason win
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Cunningham delivered 13 points (5-13 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 1-2 FT), four rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block across 25 minutes in Sunday's 120-87 preseason win over the Bucks.
Jaden Ivey led the way for the Pistons with a 22-point effort, and while Cunningham struggled from the field, he was the only other starter who reached double-digit points. Cunningham's role as the team's go-to scorer and undisputed star is not under any risk, so the star floor general is simply ramping up to get ready before the regular-season opener against the Pacers on Oct. 23.
