The Detroit Pistons have started the season with three losses, and while there have been some positives, concerns also arise.

They were inconsistent throughout, especially on defense and behind the 3-point line, where it was feast or famine.

We saw the potential of the Pistons’ defense in the second half against Boston, where Detroit was on board and took over the game with consistent effort and stops. The problem was that they forgot to show up in the first half and the Pistons weren’t nearly good enough to provide defensive energy in just one half after they were already down by 20 points.

Center play has been a focus for the Pistons, and neither Jalen Duren nor Isaiah Stewart have given them complete games so far this season, which raises some uncomfortable questions. The first is: are these two good enough?

The answer to that so far this season has been no.

Duren has averaged one block per game through the first three games so far, and we’ve seen signs of better defense, especially at the rim.

But he was bad in space and played again against the Celtics, allowing Al Horford to exit early and giving the Celtics a big cushion.

He was slightly better against Boston, but let’s be honest, the Pistons were the better team defensively when he wasn’t on the field, and that was the case all season long.

The Pistons have been -28 with Duren on the field this season and he drags the entire starting five as they all have a negative on/off when he’s on the field and a positive when he’s off field is.

It’s no coincidence that Stewart was on the floor as the Pistons made most of their comeback against Boston, but he has his own questions.