{"id":527267,"date":"2026-01-10T15:23:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T15:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/527267\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T15:23:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T15:23:17","slug":"3-man-fastbreak-rolling-into-the-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/527267\/","title":{"rendered":"3-man Fastbreak: Rolling into the new year"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Detroit Pistons\u2019 winning ways didn\u2019t stop with the calendar resetting, as the team has won four of its last five games and holds a four-game lead over the Knicks at the top of the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dive into some takeaways from Detroit since the New Year began.<\/p>\n

1. One time for Beef Stew<\/p>\n

Is it too much recency bias to say Isaiah Stewart is the second-most impactful player on this team?<\/p>\n

The sixth-year big man poured in a career-high 31 points on 14-of-17 shooting in Wednesday\u2019s win over Chicago, serving as the focal point on both ends for a Pistons squad missing several key contributors. Everything Detroit wanted to do ran through Stewart \u2014 physically, emotionally, and tactically.<\/p>\n

\"DETROIT,<\/a><\/p>\n

DETROIT, MI – JANUARY 7: Isaiah Stewart #28 of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket as Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Chicago Bulls plays defense during the game on January 7, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Chris Schwegler\/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Stewart\u2019s minutes and traditional counting stats may never put him in the All-NBA conversation given how his role is currently constructed, but he remains the heartbeat of what this team wants to be. His 2.1 blocks per game rank third in the league \u2014 and to put that in perspective, he\u2019s averaging more blocks than Evan Mobley while playing roughly 10 fewer minutes per night.<\/p>\n

Considering how seamlessly he\u2019s slid into a second-unit role and how much his overall game has grown, it\u2019s hard to believe Stewart was a full-time starter just a few seasons ago. His first taste of playoff basketball should be appointment viewing.<\/p>\n

What was billed as one of the marquee matchups of the regular season between two Eastern Conference heavyweights turned into a one-sided demolition. Detroit sent a loud message to the visiting Knicks on Monday night, cruising to a 121\u201390 victory.<\/p>\n

Despite missing starters Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren, the Pistons leaned fully into their depth and defensive identity, holding the fourth-ranked offense in the league to a season-low point total. New York never found a rhythm as Detroit dictated terms from the opening tip.<\/p>\n

Whether this game was a true preview of a potential playoff matchup is hard to say. The Knicks were also without Josh Hart, and it\u2019s fair to question the level of intensity they brought on a random January night.<\/p>\n

What is clear, though, is that Detroit had this one circled. This matchup is personal now. It feels increasingly inevitable that these teams are on a collision course for the postseason \u2014 and they\u2019ll see each other next on February 6 back at Little Caesars Arena.<\/p>\n

For all the success Detroit has enjoyed this season, the lingering question inside the locker room remains Jaden Ivey \u2014 specifically, how he fits into the current rotation and, more importantly, into the franchise\u2019s long-term plans. The conversation remains polarizing, but it is something that is unavoidable at this point.<\/p>\n

\"LOS<\/a><\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 30: Jaden Ivey #23 of the Detroit Pistons on court against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half at Crypto.com Arena on December 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

With Cade Cunningham sidelined by a wrist injury against Chicago, Ivey drew the start, but finished the night playing fewer minutes than Ron Holland II, Jevonte Green, and Dennis Jenkins. He was largely absent during crunch time as the Pistons pulled away, while rookie Chaz Lanier took on a bigger late-game role.<\/p>\n

There have been flashes of high-level play since Ivey\u2019s return from injury, but the consistency hasn\u2019t matched expectations. He hasn\u2019t fully emerged as the secondary creator next to Cunningham that many believed Detroit would need down the stretch of this season \u2014 and beyond.<\/p>\n

With the trade deadline now less than a month away, it\u2019s a situation worth monitoring closely if Detroit were to make a big(ish) move.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Detroit Pistons\u2019 winning ways didn\u2019t stop with the calendar resetting, as the team has won four of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":527268,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3773],"tags":[7,296,188,3860,5842,6,297],"class_list":{"0":"post-527267","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detroit-pistons","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-detroit","10":"tag-detroit-pistons","11":"tag-detroitpistons","12":"tag-general","13":"tag-nba","14":"tag-pistons"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115871495377669449","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=527267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527267\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/527268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=527267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=527267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=527267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}