On November 18th, Detroit travels down south to Atlanta in a clash of rising contenders. In just their second nationally televised game of the year, the Hawks have a prime opportunity to prove that they belong amongst the elite.
Atlanta struggled in their head-to-head matchups with the much-improved Pistons last season, winning only 1/4 of their meetings. This frustration was amplified by the margin of defeat - the Pistons prevailed by margins of 10, 5, and 1 to ultimately boast a 4-game advantage over the Hawks by the end of the season.
This minuscule 4-game margin proved to be crucial in the playoffs. Snagging the 6th seed, Detroit managed to take the intimidating Knicks roster to 6 games (a series far closer than what meets the eye - Detroit only lost games 3, 4, and 6 by a combined 6 points), while Atlanta failed to make it out of the play-in tournament.
This year, both the Hawks and Pistons are primed to contend in a depleted Eastern Conference - with the injuries to Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, and Tyrese Haliburton, the door is wide open for both young teams to take a massive leap.
The stakes are high for Atlanta, and the road to victory lies in three crucial items.
Three must-haves vs. Detroit: pace, space, and limiting Cade's physicality
Atlanta and Detroit were the 3rd and 9th fastest-paced teams in the league last year, with this year shaping up to be even more of a track meet than last. With the addition of Porzingis, the Hawks look to become even deadlier in transition - KP was key in raising the C's pace over the last two years, which Atlanta will be keen on utilizing throughout this campaign.
The team that dominates in transition will likely prove to be the victor in this clash of two young teams, as is evident by last year's high-scoring showdowns - the Hawks averaged 125 PPG to Detroit's 128.5 during their four meetings.
Besides pace, spacing the floor will be the key to determining the victor on November 18th. Detroit has long struggled with providing Cunningham with room to work, often limiting playing time for their non-shooters (Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland, Jalen Duren) despite their excellence in other categories.
For the Hawks, the key to spacing the floor lies in the shooting of Onyeka Okongwu and Jalen Johnson. The addition of Porzingis, Alexander-Walker, and Kennard will help to space out the physical Detroit defense. If Okongwu and Johnson can follow suit, it will be near-impossible for the Pistons to contain the potent 3-level attack of Atlanta.
Finally, perhaps the most crucial point in limiting Detroit's offense lies in curtailing All-Star Cade Cunningham's physical interior attack. Throughout the grueling 6-game bout against New York, Cunningham scored time and time again by getting the smaller, weaker Brunson switched onto him and driving head-on to the rim.
Young possesses a frame all too similar to Brunson - the Hawks can employ a similar strategy of hiding their small guard through pre-switching screens that the Knicks succeeded in doing en route to emerging victorious in their playoff series. Having surrounded Young with plus-defenders in Alexander-Walker and Porzingis this offseason, this strategy looks to be even more enticing for Quin Snyder to utilize.
If you're a fan of fast-paced basketball with the air of a potential playoff matchup looming large, the nationally televised hosting of the Detroit Pistons on November 18th is a must-watch game. If Atlanta can prove they belong early in the campaign, the route to the playoffs becomes much less daunting.