Ebuka Okorie and Tolu Smith give J.B. Bickerstaff hard rotation calls before the Pistons’ opener

The Detroit Pistons enter their season opener against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, October 20, with more playable bench options than minutes to hand out, and the camp produced by first-year guard Ebuka Okorie and big man Tolu Smith, now in his second season, is the reason J.B. Bickerstaff’s rotation is harder to set than it was a month ago.

Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press reported that the growth of the two young players has handed Bickerstaff difficult choices for a team coming off a 60-win season and the top seed in the East. Assistant coach Jarrett Jack framed what each of them brings as a change of texture rather than a straight swap: “It can just be a different look, a different skill set.”

What the preseason showed

Okorie closed camp loudly. In the 129-125 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday, October 16, he scored 14 points in nine minutes without missing a shot from the field, going 4-for-4 with a made three and 5-of-6 at the line. A week earlier, in a 114-108 overtime loss at Washington with Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren resting, he played a team-high 27 minutes and finished with 14 points and six assists.

That Washington game was also Smith’s best audition. With Ausar Thompson and Paul Reed fouling out, Smith grabbed 13 rebounds in 16 minutes. Bickerstaff said afterward that the young players had “worked their tails off in training camp” and had earned time on the floor. In the finale against Toronto, Smith played nine minutes with three points, two rebounds and two assists.

Where the minutes are tight

The starting group Bickerstaff used in the finale looks settled: Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, John Collins and Jalen Duren. The pressure is behind them.

At point guard, Okorie is competing with Daniss Jenkins and Elijah Harkless for the backup job. Jenkins had the inside track coming into camp after producing at the NBA level last season, and he ran the second unit for almost 17 minutes against Toronto with five assists, but he shot 1-of-7. Harkless scored seven points in under seven minutes in the same game.

At center, the departure of Isaiah Stewart moved Reed up to the backup role behind Duren, leaving Smith to compete with rookie Ugonna Onyenso for the third spot. Onyenso is expected to begin his career in the G League, which makes Smith the more likely emergency big on opening night. Bickerstaff has long pointed to Smith’s rebounding and the long stretches he dominated in the G League.

Detroit also has wings pushing for time, from Ron Holland, who had eight rebounds off the bench against Toronto, to Isaiah Joe, Kevin Huerter and Javonte Green. Not everyone who earned minutes in October will see them in a close regular-season game.

What comes next

The Pistons open the regular season at Little Caesars Arena against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, October 20. The first substitution pattern will show whether Okorie or Jenkins gets the first look behind Cunningham, and whether Smith is in the rotation at all. Follow it live in the Celtics vs. Pistons Game Center.