The Detroit Pistons had an impressive regular season last time out (60-22) under J.B. Bickerstaff, but were eliminated in the first round of the play-offs and made targeted additions to their roster over the summer. The Phoenix Suns are improving under Jordan Ott, having climbed from 27th to ninth in the league defensively, but head into their first pre-season match with a major shortage at centre.
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons retained their core players, led by Cade Cunningham, over the summer and also traded for Jonathan Collins and Isaiah Joe. The main talking point of the off-season was Jalen Duren's contract: the centre ultimately signed a five-year, $200 million extension, but having missed informal training camps and media day, he is not yet in peak condition and will miss the match. In his absence, Paul Reed and Jonathan Collins will shoulder the frontcourt workload. Meanwhile, the Pistons will field an established backcourt featuring Kevin Huerter and Ausar Thompson, looking to dictate the tempo aggressively from the opening minutes.
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns finished seventh in the Western Conference last regular season and opted for targeted additions over the summer, bringing in Mikal Bridges and Sam Kennard in exchange for Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale. Their star player Devin Booker is in excellent form, while Dillon Brooks is enjoying the best spell of his career. However, another injury to starting centre Mark Williams, who is out until February, has dealt the visitors a devastating blow. Lacking big men with size, the Suns are forced to fill the centre position with Oso Ighodaro or Khaman Maluach, neither of whom has yet settled in, leaving them extremely vulnerable in the paint.
Detroit Pistons vs Phoenix Suns Prediction
Both teams will experiment with their rotations, and their star players are unlikely to spend more than 20 minutes on court. The Detroit Pistons are at home and have greater squad depth, but Duren's absence will deprive them of their biggest asset in the paint. The Phoenix Suns also have problems under the basket without Williams, but their perimeter players — Booker, Jalen Green and Brooks — can trouble any defence. The Pistons look marginally stronger thanks to home advantage, but the scoring margin is unlikely to be large.
