Maybe because it’s been such a welcome relief to not think about the Detroit Pistons for most of the last decade (or two), I never really noticed just how much of a break the NBA Cup represents. Now that the Pistons are good, I have been going through serious withdrawal.

Not only are the Pistons good, but there are so many intriguing questions that have cropped up as the roster has gotten healthier. Mind you, I’m probably not on the high end of believers in this team as currently constructed — I see some major flaws in the offensive design that will inevitably rear their head against top competition. But even those flaws can be addressed with how much flexibility the Pistons have with the assets they can bundle toward an additional piece or two.

But changes, if any, aren’t happening tonight. Tonight, the Pistons have their cleanest injury report of the season — only Isaac Jones is out with a knee sprain, while several youngins are on G-League assignments. They face the Atlanta Hawks, who are led by a cadre of developing talents in Jalen Johnson, Onyeka, Okongwu, Dyson Daniels, and Zacccharie Risacher, who all clock in at 25 or younger.

When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit, NBA TV
Odds: Pistons -6.5

Since we’ve been so game-light, I’ll add a mini preview to the game tonight. While the Pistons were on a bit of a roll leading into this NBA Cup-induced layoff, winning four of its past five games, it felt like the break was very much needed.

It felt like the minor scrapes and bruises and tweaks were adding up on several guys, and the two most important — Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren — seemed like they could use a bit of a mental reset. Both just seemed a bit off, even as they were doing some special things on the court.

Duren’s explosive moves regressed from nuclear to TNT level and Cunningham seemed like he was experiencing some dead legs that were leading to an increase of mental mistakes. In Detroit’s past 10 games, they rank 29th in the NBA with 17.2 turnovers per game. That is three more than the 10 games prior to that when the Pistons were 10th in turnover rate.

The Pistons have been playing a dangerous game with several opponents. The broadcast likes to herald this as a gritty ability to eke out a win when the margin is within 10 points, but the worrier in me sees a bit of fools gold in Detroit’s performance. They have the second-most wins in the NBA at 19-5, but only the sixth-best net rating at +5.4 per 100 possessions. To be clear, it is still amazing that the Pistons are a top-six team in the NBA, but it feels like they could be even better if they clean up their mistakes.

Atlanta won’t make that easy. They love to force their opponent into mistakes and to capitalize on them for easy scoring opportunities. The Pistons played the Hawks in December, outlasting Atlanta 99-98.

In that game, the Pistons were forced into 23 turnovers, but Cunningham was able to respond in kind. While Cade didn’t have his best offensive game — just 18 points on limited volume — he nabbed six steals and added three blocks. Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker kept the Hawks in the game with 29 and 26 points, respectively. However, the benches really tipped the scales. Detroit got 37 points off the bench, including great games from CAris LeVert, Ron Holland, and Isaiah Stewart. Atlanta, meanwhile, had just nine bench points from four players.

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu

Would a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Atlanta Hawks (that doesn’t cost them Jalen Johnson) make them the best team in the Eastern Conference?