Nov 15, 2025 10:53 AM EST
If there’s something the league desperately needed in recent years, it’s the return of the Detroit Pistons to the big stage. After setting a historic 28-game losing streak two seasons ago under Monty Williams, no one could have imagined how quickly things would turn around.
With the arrival of J.B. Bickerstaff, things immediately shifted last season and the team looked great as they reached the playoffs and gave the New York Knicks real trouble. This year they look even better, even though Jaden Ivey, a guy who has 20 points in his hands on any given night, is still out with an injury.
But there’s no panic in Motor City as long as Cade Cunningham is playing at an MVP-like level and Jalen Duren looks like a legitimate All-Star. The rest of the roster is also very well balanced, which led NBA podcaster Bill Simmons to give his thoughts on Detroit.
“What I really like with this team is like Cade played football, he’s like really turned into this aggro kind of nasty player. I mean that as a compliment. And Duren is kind of nasty. Both Thompson twins, even though they’re handsome kids, both of them have a little f—k you in them,” Simmons said.
“Then they have Holland, they have Stewart. This is just like a really tough, competitive team and they are competitive night after night after night. I was wrong, I think they have a chance to be a three seed,” Simmons stressed.
Detroit is defined by its defensive toughness
The truth is that the East is more open than ever, since the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics, without Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum, aren’t currently competing for the top, while injuries to key players have also been a problem for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
That has given the Pistons the freedom to break out, and after 13 games, they firmly hold the No. 1 spot in the East with an 11–2 record, despite Cunningham and Duren missing the last two games with minor injuries.
What defines this team, just like in the best days of the “Bad Boys” Pistons, is defensive toughness led by Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart and Duren. With elite athleticism and constant ball pressure, they’ve climbed to the third-best defensive rating in the league at 109.5 points allowed per 100 possessions.
Only the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets, both viewed as contenders, rank ahead of them, which clearly shows what Detroit’s ceiling might be, if not this season, then in the coming ones.
However, offense remains their weakness, despite the wins, because even though they’re first in the East, they rank 16th in offensive rating at 115.7 points per 100 possessions.
That results in a net rating of +6.1, which is still good enough for a Top 5 ranking in the league. However, with Ivey’s return and the eventual return of injured veteran Tobias Harris, this should improve. All of that led Gilbert Arenas to say the future is bright for Cunningham and the Pistons.
“If they keep tweaking the roster for [Cunningham’s] talent, that is the type of team that two years from now, they’re gonna be like ‘Yo, they kinda favorites. They might come out of the East,’” Arenas said while discussing the Pistons on an episode of Gil’s Arena alongside former NBA players-turned-analysts Kenyon Martin and Brandon Jennings.
The Pistons have a real shot
The season is still young, and a lot can change in the East, especially after the slow start by the Knicks and Cavaliers, while it’s clear that the Milwaukee Bucks are riding the brilliance of Giannis Antetokounmpo and when a team relies that heavily on one player, that’s always dangerous once the playoffs arrive.
The 76ers remain an enigma, as it’s still unknown whether Embiid can stay healthy all season. Without him, they’re simply not the same team. What could ultimately matter for the Pistons is the playoff experience that the Cavaliers and Knicks gained last year, along with their overall stronger offenses.
However, the Pistons have definitely shown that they shouldn’t be written off, and if they reach the playoffs healthy, in such an open Eastern Conference with no clear favorite, they can really beat anyone.
About the author
NBA & FIBA Writer at Basketball Network
Bruno fell in love with the NBA while watching the legendary NBA finals duels between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. At Basketball Network his broad knowledge of the old-school NBA and his coverage of the latest news from the league will allow him to contribute his expertise to the team.