The Detroit Pistons’ second unit needs help.
Monty Williams addressed the flaw in his rotation after the 110-100 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Little Caesars Arena on Friday, in which the Pistons trailed by 26 points after a 40-15 first-half run. That stretch started once most of Detroit’s starters were out of the game.
Williams likes to go deep into his bench early, and typically closes first quarters with five bench players on the floor, even if the opposing team still has its starters in the game. The all-bench lineups have been a factor in many of the Pistons’ losses this season, as the starters have often had to close double-digit deficits after checking back in.
Detroit closed the first quarter on Friday with Malachi Flynn, Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Simone Fontecchio and James Wiseman. Cleveland, which closed the first with Evan Mobley and left him in the game to start the second, used a 14-2 run to push their lead to 13 before Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey re-entered the game early in the second.
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The guard duo was unable to stop the bleeding, though, as Darius Garland knocked down six 3-pointers during the 40-15 run. The starters eventually found a rhythm, closing the first half with an 11-0 run to whittle the lead down to 15.
But ultimately, the second-unit stretch was too much to overcome.
“I’m not happy about the outcome, for sure,” Williams said after the game. “There were a number of lapses with the second unit tonight. I thought that group, for a new group, the ball got sticky and we couldn’t score. When you score in the low 20s against a good defensive team like that, it’s gonna put a lot of pressure on your defense.
“I didn’t see the same ball movement, body movement that we saw in Chicago and even in New York. That part was a little frustrating because I gotta figure out a combination with that second unit that can play the way we want to play.”
The all-bench units have become a frequent topic on NBA Twitter and a source of pain for many Pistons fans, who have only nine wins against 50 losses this season. Many teams stagger their best playmakers, but Ivey typically subs out before Cunningham, leaving a bench guard to run the second unit.
Williams shifted his strategy in the second half, staggering Ivey and Cunningham down the stretch. Ivey subbed out midway through the third before coming back in for Cunningham a few minutes after. Cunningham came back in for Ivey with 8:51 remaining in the game, and Ivey checked back in to join Cunningham with under 4 minutes left.
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The Pistons outscored Cleveland by 11 in the fourth, and cut their deficit to seven with 1:22 to play. However, Williams sees an inherent flaw with allowing Ivey to run the second unit. Defensively, he said the 6-foot-4 guard would likely play alongside an even smaller guard in Flynn or rookie Marcus Sasser, who missed Friday’s game with a right knee contusion.
Staggering the two guards has been a frequent topic this season, and remains a potential solution to the second unit’s woes, at least offensively. On the other end, Williams would have to figure something out.
“The tough part is if I take JI out and then I bring him back with the second unit, no matter how you slice it you’re going to have two small guards out there with Malachi and Sass and JI,” Williams said. “It’s a tough one. I may have to bring (Isaiah Stewart) out, bring (Fontecchio) out and bring Stewy back with the second unit. We need an anchor out there on both ends and just didn’t have that tonight.”
Of course, the Pistons have other guards and wings on the bench who can play next to Ivey. Trade deadline acquisition Quentin Grimes has impressed early with his defensive ability, and Troy Brown Jr. can also defend and hit 3s. Williams has shied away from utilizing Ivey as Detroit’s lone on-ball creator on the floor, but the second-year guard ran the show with Fournier, Ausar Thompson, Fontecchio and Wiseman next to him in the fourth quarter.
Detroit trailed by 22 when Ivey initially subbed out in the fourth. With Cunningham back in and Stewart in at center, the Pistons found momentum. Thompson’s second 3-pointer of the night brought them within 13 midway through the fourth, and a pair of free throws by Cunningham cut it to 10.
Ivey’s 3-pointer with 1:22 to play cut it to 107-100, but they couldn’t complete the comeback. They were the superior team in the fourth, and Williams’ rotation decisions helped the team sustain momentum after a flat first half and third quarter.
It isn’t clear which direction Williams will go to bring more life to the bench. What is clear is that the all-bench units need to be shaken up.
“Defensively we were a lot better, and then in the fourth we played pretty good defense,” Williams said. “We just dug ourselves a hole. We were down 26. It felt like 56 because we just weren’t playing the kind of basketball that we had been playing in all of the games leading to this particular game. I gotta figure out the second unit, for sure.”
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
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Matchup: Pistons (9-50) at Orlando (34-26).
Tipoff: 6 p.m. Sunday; Kia Center, Orlando, Florida.
TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit; WXYT-FM (97.1).
Detroit’s dining scene just got even more flavorful with the opening of Sunda New Asian, bringing modern Southeast Asian cuisine to the city.
Restaurant owner Billy Dec joins the show to share what guests can expect from the new hotspot, from bold dishes and incredible cocktails to an energetic atmosphere.
Watch the video above to see what’s cooking up at Sunda New Asian.
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Detroit Lions podcast includes Purple Insider Matthew Coller to talk about NFC North offseason moves.
Nolan and Richard are joined by Purple Insider Matthew Coller to talk about NFC North offseason moves.
By this point in the offseason, it’s well documented who the Detroit Lions have added, as well as who they’ve lost.
Former Carolina Panthers center Cade Mays was the prize of free agency. He’ll replace Graham Glasgow in the middle of Detroit’s offensive line. Clemson’s Blake Miller, selected 17th overall in April’s draft, is poised to quickly take over at the tackle spot opposite Penei Sewell, stepping in for Taylor Decker. The pass rush was overhauled across from Aidan Hutchinson, with Ahmed Hassanein and Tyler Lacy being the only other edge defenders still on the roster from last season.
Today, we’ll try to take our analysis a step further, identifying a few patterns within Detroit’s offseason approach and exploring what those acquisitions, retentions and departures mean for a Lions team looking to bounce back and reemerge as a title contender in 2026.
Detroit’s offense had its own share of issues throughout 2025. But what the defense produced down the stretch with the season on the line failed to meet reasonable expectations. Opponents averaged 28.1 points and 382.1 yards per game from Weeks 12-18, a stretch that resulted in four losses. Pinning all of Detroit’s defensive woes on one factor would be foolish (and you can’t ignore the role injuries played), but an inconsistent, at best, pass rush certainly didn’t help. The Lions owned the third-slowest time to pressure (2.86 seconds) in the NFL last season, according to Next Gen Stats.
Aside from the retooling opposite Hutchinson, the Lions also seemingly put an emphasis on acquiring interior defensive linemen who can get after the passer. Levi Onwuzurike is back after his contract tolled last season — Josh Paschal, a run-defending lineman who also had his contract tolled but was released in March, wasn’t afforded the same opportunity — and the Lions spent a couple of late-round draft picks on Texas Tech’s Skyler Gill-Howard and Tennessee’s Tyre West. Both players were drafted because of the flashes they’ve shown as pass rushers, particularly Gill-Howard, whose win rate in 2025 (14.4%) ranked 10th out of the 512 FBS interior defenders who rushed the passer on at least 100 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Copying the Super Bowl champions isn’t always wise — every team’s personnel has its own set of skills — but it’s striking how much Detroit’s defense differed from that of the Seattle Seahawks, who rode their defense on the way to winning the franchise’s second title. The Lions led the league in use of base defense (three linebackers) last season, deploying those packages for 657 plays, according to Next Gen Stats. The Seahawks were last, with 66 plays. It was the opposite for use of nickel defense (five defensive backs), with the Seahawks leading the league (815) and the Lions at 32nd (355). Of course, Seattle is unique, given head coach Mike Macdonald’s defensive system and nickelback Nick Emmanwori’s immediate impact as a rookie.
The Lions won’t overhaul their entire scheme in one offseason, but it’s difficult to see their moves in totality and not come away thinking they could lean more on nickel packages in 2026. Alex Anzalone, one of the league’s better linebackers against the pass, allowed the Lions to play base defense as much as they did, as he was comfortable in coverage. He’s now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Lions added a number of viable options to play nickelback next season, including veterans Christian Izien Jr. and Roger McCreary, as well as fifth-round rookie Keith Abney II (Arizona State).
Assuming the starting five, from left to right, winds up being Sewell, Christian Mahogany, Mays, Tate Ratledge and Miller, Detroit’s offensive line will have an average age of 25.2 next season. That’s down from 2025 (27.8) and 2024 (29.8). In no way does the influx of youth indicate surefire success, but the Lions would certainly be set up for sustained success if each of the five projected starters reach their ceilings. The offensive line could be even younger if 2025 fifth-rounder Miles Frazier, who is 11 months younger than Mahogany, wins the starting job at left guard. Juice Scruggs, another contender at left guard, is nine months older than Mahogany. Ben Bartch, 27, is the veteran option.
Whether Mays continues ascending at center will be key to Detroit’s success in 2026. He’s only started 20 games at the position over his four seasons in the NFL, and all of those starts have come within the last two years. He showed week-to-week growth in his 12 starts in 2025, enough for the Lions to commit $25 million ($14 million guaranteed) to him over the next three years. Mays surrendered 13 pressures last season and didn’t allow sack, according to PFF.
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@rich_silva18
How the PWHL unveiled Detroit’s team amid much fanfare
Chris Ilitch, Mary Sheffield, Jayna Hefford and Amy Scheer talk about the PWHL Detroit team on May 6, 2026.
Josh Sciba comes to the Detroit Professional Women’s Hockey League team with a tremendous recent accolade.
Named to coach the ninth franchise in the PWHL’s history on Thursday, May 28, Sciba joins the team fresh off having served as an assistant coach with the women’s team that won the gold medal at the 2026 Milano Olympics.
“I’m incredibly honored and excited for the opportunity to become the coach of PWHL Detroit and beyond grateful for the trust placed in me to help lead the organization from the beginning,” Sciba said in a statement. “This is home and especially meaningful for me and my entire family, knowing Detroit’s rich hockey history and identity firsthand and how much the women’s hockey community has been yearning for this moment.”
The Detroit PWHL team has taken shape over the past month: From being introduced on May 6 in a gala event at Little Caesars Arena (where the team will play starting late November/early December 2026) to naming Manon Rheaume general manager on May 15.
“Josh is a highly respected coach with a knowledge of the game and experience at all levels of women’s hockey that set him apart, and his passion for teaching and individual character are qualities I value in a leader,” Rhéaume said in a release “Hockeytown is in his blood, and this is an opportunity I know he is eager to embrace with an understanding of what it means to represent this city and be part of its legacy.”
Next on the agenda is shaping the roster itself, which will happen at the June 17 expansion draft at Detroit’s Fox Theatre.
Sciba, 41 and a native of Westland, has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the PWHL’s New York Sirens and brings more than 15 years of coaching experience to the role.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
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