Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic Preview

The Pistons and Magic get their regular seasons underway at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit Wednesday at 7 PM EST.

It feels great to get to write a preview for the regular season. The slate is completely blank, the book of the 2022-23 season completely empty, ready to be written for the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic.

It’ll be an exciting matchup pitting the 2021 No. 1 pick, Cade Cunningham, against the 2022 No. 1 pick, Paolo Banchero. Detroit heads into the matchup after an 0-4 preseason, while Orlando is coming off winning four of their five tune-ups.

How to Watch

When: 7:00 PM EST

Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI

TV: Bally Sports Detroit & Bally Sports Florida

Scouting Report

These are two of the youngest teams in the NBA featuring many first, second, and third year players. Both teams are in the midst of their rebuilds, while Detroit seems to be a year ahead in the process back to relevancy.

Detroit looks to show improvement from the 23-59 season they had a year ago, as Cade Cunningham looks to prove his name as a star in this league. Lottery picks Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren will make their NBA debut much to the delight of highlight pages all over social media. There are some interesting rotational questions for the Pistons as new acquisition Bojan Bogdanovic likely gets the start at the four and Ivey at SG. Look for young guns Killian Hayes and Duren to get extra playing time with Alec Burks (foot), Marvin Bagley (knee), and Isaiah Livers (hip) all out. Also, pay attention to number 41 in blue, Saddiq Bey, as the 51 point game he had last season was against this Magic team.

Similarly, the Magic are in no position to define a win total for a successful season. Orlando will be looking for the development of their young talent headed by Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, and Cole Anthony. It's an Orlando team that finished 22-60 a year ago, and opens with Markelle Fultz (toe), Moritz Wagner (ankle), Jonathan Isaac (hamstring), and Gary Harris (knee) all ruled out.