The Spurs will now hit the road for the first time in more than four months after blowing out the understaffed Utah Jazz in a phenomenal preseason opener on Monday. San Antonio thrived behind a new-look run-and-gun brand of basketball, befitting one of the youngest rosters in the NBA. And hopefully, their suffocating defense travels with them to Detroit as they take on a hobbled Eastern Conference bottom-dweller.
The Pistons will be without seven players, including the first overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, Cade Cunningham. However, 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist Jerami Grant, 2021 All-Rookie First and Second Team honorees Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart, and former Spurs Cory Joseph and Trey Lyles ought to give head coach Gregg Popovich and company a unique test as they fine-tune their chemistry ahead of the season.