The NBA Was NOT Ready For Detroit Pistons…

The NBA Was NOT Ready For Detroit Pistons…

Teams that won 14 games just two years ago don’t suddenly start a season 13-2. They don’t win 11 straight games. They don’t post a top three defense or look like one of the toughest, most physically imposing teams in the entire league. But the Pistons did. And they did it. While Cade, Assar, Tobias, Ivy, Stewart, and even Jaylen Duran all missed time with Ivy yet to even touch the court this season. They’ve kept on winning anyway. Cade is playing at an MVP level in fourth quarters, closing out games like a true superstar. Jaylen Duran has also taken a massive leap, a leap so big that it barely makes sense. and role players nobody talked about or even knew have stepped in and changed the ceiling of this team. And now suddenly a team that was one of the worst in professional sports history just two seasons ago might actually be one of the best teams in the NBA right now, not even a full 2 years later. At this point, Detroit’s identity is crystal clear. They defend, they’ll fight you, they dominate in the paint, and they control possession. They rank second in the NBA on defense, holding opponents to just 109.7 points per 100 possessions. They also rank second in halfcourt defense with an 89 halfcourt defensive rating. They’re also fourth in net rating at plus 8 and they force turnovers on 17.3% of their defensive possessions, second only to Oklahoma City. This Pistons team is built to overwhelm you. Every possession feels like hard work. They funnel everything towards the baseline, completely shut off the middle of the floor, and use their length everywhere. In your face in passing lanes, and on every drive, even simple actions feel like a chore against this defense. Assar Thompson at the point of attack is already one of the best five defenders in the league. And realistically, he’s probably in the top three. Cunningham and Jenkins use their size to erase angles. Javvante Green brings pure chaos. And Duran and Stewart clean up everything behind them. This isn’t just a good defense. This is a system designed to break your rhythm and spirit over the course of a full 48-minute game. And here’s exactly what it looks like on film. Robinson first gets the turnover with some active hands and the Pistons instantly turn it into a clean, fast break, ending in a Thompson finish. Simple, fast, and efficient. The next clip, Jenkins comes flying in to break the play. Cade swoops it up in stride, immediately gets deep into the paint, then having the court awareness to spin around and fire it out top where Jenkins then makes the extra pass for a wideopen Duncan Robinson three. Great defense and high IQ basketball. Here’s another. Green brings that trademark chaos, forces the steel, and the Pistons are going the other way. And this time, it’s Cade rising up and finishing on the alley plate. It’s not just the guards either. Here’s Jaylen Duran jumping a passing lane, putting the ball on the floor with that new added handle, and then dropping it off to Ron Holland for free throws. And then Watford tries to make the simple kick out pass. But Assar Thompson reads it like a book and he’s off to the races. And could you imagine if he had finished that dunk? Oh my goodness. But this is where Detroit separates from OKC and where they’re still growing. They’re generating turnovers, getting the same fast break opportunities, doing it all with the same chaotic defensive energy. But the execution isn’t always as sharp as the Thunder. Cage alleyoop here was not the right call. And on this one, Assar Thompson couldn’t finish another break, leaving valuable points off the board. They aren’t quite Oklahoma City in terms of turning their defense directly into elite offense. And the execution is the main reason why Detroit currently ranks 11th for offensive rating, while Oklahoma City is fourth. And the Thunder have been doing this without Jaylen Williams. So yeah, the Pistons have a little ways to go yet, but compared to last season, this is a night and day improvement for Detroit. And the biggest breakthrough offensively has been in their halfcourt offense, turning a weakness into a bit of a strength. Last season, if you forced Detroit into the half court, you basically won the game. They had the floor spacing, but no real shot creation outside of Cunningham. No dangerous secondary creators and no reliable way to generate looks once the games slow down. This year, that weakness might be gone. Detroit is now the 13th best halfcourt offense in the NBA with a 97.6 offensive rating. And the K Duran pick and roll has become one of the more effective actions in the league. And this really matters because once the playoffs start, everything slows down. Possessions get harder, defenses load up, transition opportunities dry out, and teams who cannot score in the half court often get exposed. But Detroit might actually have some answers. Cade has become one of the most clutch players in the league. Duran went from just being a lob threat to a legitimate offensive engine. and together they’ve built a half-court foundation that the team never expected to have. The Pistons are no longer drowning in the halfcourt offense. They appear to be solving it. And with the way Kade and Duran are playing, I genuinely believe both of them are going to be in the All-Star team this season. For Cade Cunningham, we all knew this was going to happen. I mean, he finished top 10 for MVP voting last season, and he entered this season as a pretty much guaranteed all-star. And so far, he’s backed that up with 27.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 9.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 53% true shooting. And he’s been doing all of this while struggling with his outside shot. Just 27% from three. That should be impossible. He’s dominating games without his jump shot fooling because of the fact his size and quickness creates an unsolvable matchup nightmare. Put a smaller guard on him and he buries you with his shoulder and strength. Put a bigger defender on him and he goes right past you for an easy paint look. The biggest difference in the fourth quarter, he has been one of the more clutch players in the league. Every time Detroit needs a bucket, Kade appears to be delivering tough mid-range jumpers, drives through contact, transition finishes, or even a nasty posterizer against Philadelphia. He has straight up been in takeover mode late in games. His turnovers are also down to a career low. Even with this massive usage spike, his reads out of traps are sharper. He’s processing defenses far quicker, and he’s stronger, calmer, and more decisive than he’s ever been. If Detroit keeps winning and Cade continues to put up these elite numbers while getting his efficiency back to the level that we know he can reach, then he’s going to force his way into the MVP conversation and likely finish top five. A complete insane reality for a franchise that won just 14 games only two seasons ago. And then there’s the biggest leap on the team. Jaylen Duran is not just another athletic big like everybody assumed he would be. He’s turned into one of the most efficient interior scorers in the league. Averaging 20.6 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks on an absurd 72% true shooting. He is dominating the paint physically, running to the rim, protecting the basket on the other end, and completely overpowering whoever is standing in front of him. But the real leap is what he’s been able to do off the dribble. Duran is driving downhill, using face up moves, making short roll reads, finishing through arms, and drawing fouls at a really high volume. He’s no longer just catching lobs. He’s actually reading defenses, attacking mismatches, and punishing teams for doubling cake. When teams blitz the pick and roll with Kaden Duran, JD catches, takes one dribble, and then he’s basically at the rim where he’s either dunking on someone or getting fouled. And because he’s hitting about 70% on free throws, he’s becoming almost impossible to scheme against. A 21-year-old should not be this efficient. A 21-year-old should not be this skilled, but Jaylen Duran is. And this is an all-star leap from a player who was supposed to be years away from even having the opportunity to reach this level of play. But he’s doing it all right now. The craziest part about all of this is how this Pistons run isn’t just because Cade’s playing like an MVP or Duran is playing like an all-star. It’s because the Pistons keep winning even when the roster’s hurt. And that has to do with the supporting cast stepping up in a way that absolutely no one predicted. Duncan Robinson has been the perfect addition. 12.7 points per game, 42% from three, and the exact kind of offball shooter who punishes teams for helping off of him. And defensively, he’s actually been pretty good. Constantly jumping passing lanes using active hands and getting the Pistons out into transition quite a bit. Then there’s Denise Jenkins. Maybe the most unlikely breakout player in the entire NBA. He was a two-way guy last season. Barely scratched the rotation. And now he’s giving Detroit 11.8 points per game along with 4.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 45% from three. All while defending, pushing the tempo, and giving Detroit the secondary ball handler they were desperate for. Assar Thompson is still developing as a shooter, but everything else brings the winning basketball the team needs. Cutting, rebounding, playmaking, and some of the very best point of attack defense in the NBA. He takes star guards and wings completely out of their rhythm pretty much every single night. And then even deeper down on the bench, you’ve got guys like Javvante Green and Chaz Laneir who have all played real meaningful minutes during this winning streak, giving Detroit energy, physicality, smart decisions, and mistakefree basketball. Exactly the kind of role players every great team needs. This isn’t a topheavy rotation anymore. Detroit is winning because they have the depth required and they’re all contributing at a really high level. So, after everything that we’ve seen, what does this actually mean for the Pistons, is Detroit actually legit, or was this just a hot stretch with a weak schedule? The truth is, I believe this team is absolutely for real. The defense is sustainable. The length, the rim protection, the turnover creation, I don’t think any of it’s fluky. It’s built into how they play. Cage’s late game dominance is real. He’s controlling games like a veteran star, not just a young guard trying to figure things out. And Jaylen Duran’s leap changes the entire timeline for the group. You don’t usually get a center this efficient, this physical, or this skilled at 21 years of age. And with that strong backbone, that clearly raises what Detroit is capable of achieving. Then when you look at the supporting cast, it fits perfectly around the core. Shooting, cutting, defense, scrapping, versatility, everything you’d want is there. And the craziest part, Detroit still has not played one game where they’re fully healthy yet. Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivy, Isaiah Stewart. I mean, these guys are big-time contributors and have missed a lot of the season so far. So, if this is Detroit’s baseline, what are they going to look like when they get these key guys back? I think their ceiling could be way higher than anybody predicted. With major players out of the Eastern Conference race, it genuinely feels wide open. And if Detroit continues to improve offensively, I think they can do a lot more damage than people realize. Elite defensive systems win in the postseason. And Detroit already has that box checked. The next step is the halfcourt offense. And all of that comes back to Cade Cunningham. He has to get that three-point jumper back at a respectable clip because if teams don’t fear that pullup, defenses are going to start going under the screens and clogging everything for everybody else. Personally, I’m confident that Cunningham will get that three-point jumper back, but we do need to see it. Right now, the Pistons are a real playoff team, no doubt. But to be a threat to win the East and have a chance to make a championship push, they need to continue to improve offensively. The good news, they’ve got plenty of time. This is a very young team that looks like it’s only getting better by the day. And that championship window might run for the next 5 years or more if they can continue on this trajectory. But another contender rising right now are the Lakers. and LeBron’s return might actually make them one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA right now. And if you want to see why, then you can check out that full breakdown video right now.

The NBA Was NOT Ready For Detroit Pistons…

NBA Teams that won fourteen games two years ago don’t suddenly start an NBA season thirteen-and-two. They don’t win eleven straight. They don’t post a top-three defense in the NBA or look like one of the toughest, most physically dominant teams in the entire NBA. But the Detroit Pistons did…

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