The Detroit Pistons weren\u2019t supposed to look like this without Cade Cunningham.<\/p>\n
Not this sharp. Not this connected. Not this dominant.<\/p>\n
When Cunningham suffered a collapsed left lung in mid\u2011March, Detroit lost its offensive organizer, its late\u2011game decision-maker and the player who had carried them to the top of the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n
The Pistons had every excuse to slip. They didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
With a 116-93 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Apr. 4, Detroit secured the No. 1 seed in the East, a testament to a roster that has grown sturdier, deeper and more defensively connected than at any point in the Cunningham era.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s the story: not that the Pistons are surviving without their star, but that they look completely prepared for life without him \u2014 at least for now.<\/p>\n
Without Cunningham\u2019s steadying presence on offense, Detroit has leaned fully into its defensive backbone. The Pistons have been winning games by dictating tempo, controlling the paint and forcing opponents into uncomfortable possessions. Detroit\u2019s rotations are sharper, their communication louder and their physicality more pronounced.<\/p>\n
As of April 5, the Pistons are 9-2 since Cunningham went down, with their only losses being to an Atlanta Hawks team that had won 14 of their last 15, and in overtime to the league\u2019s top team in the Oklahoma City Thunder \u2014 by a combined five points.<\/p>\n
The Pistons held their opponent to 110 points or less in seven of those contests \u2014 almost double the league-average rate \u2014 and Ausar Thompson was named the Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month for March.<\/p>\n
This is the version of the Pistons that head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been trying to build \u2014 a team that can win ugly, win tough and win without needing to score 120 points.<\/p>\n
At the center of the operation is Jalen Duren.<\/p>\n
Duren\u2019s growth has been one of the Pistons\u2019 most important developments this season \u2014 he\u2019s controlling the glass, protecting the rim and giving Detroit a physical presence that keeps opponents honest.<\/p>\n
With Cunningham out, Duren\u2019s role has expanded from complementary big to foundational piece. In that span, he averages 25.5 points and 10.5 rebounds on 73% shooting.<\/p>\n
If Duren has taken upon Cade\u2019s role as the anchor, Daniss Jenkins is filling in as the spark.<\/p>\n
The Pistons haven\u2019t asked Jenkins to replicate Cunningham\u2019s production, but they have asked him to keep the offense organized, defend his position and avoid mistakes.<\/p>\n
And he has delivered \u2014 Jenkins doesn\u2019t try to put on Cunningham\u2019s cape; he just plays clean, tough, winning basketball. And the Pistons have fed off it.<\/p>\n
Since taking over the starting duties, Jenkins has averaged 18.3 points and 7 assists with efficient scoring and limited turnovers.<\/p>\n
Jenkins\u2019 poise has helped Detroit maintain structure, and his defensive effort has fit seamlessly into the Pistons\u2019 new identity.<\/p>\n
The Pistons have proven they can win without Cunningham. They can defend. They can grind. They can close out games with toughness and discipline.<\/p>\n
But the ceiling? That still belongs to Cade.<\/p>\n
Before the injury, Cunningham was averaging 24.5 points and 9.9 assists \u2014 production matched by only a handful of players in NBA history. He was the engine of Detroit\u2019s offense, the late\u2011game decision-maker and the player who elevated everyone around him.<\/p>\n
His absence has forced the Pistons to grow in ways that may ultimately benefit them. They\u2019ve learned to win without leaning on him. They\u2019ve learned to defend at a higher level. They\u2019ve learned to trust their depth.<\/p>\n
But if Cunningham returns at full strength \u2014 and there is optimism he should be back in the playoffs \u2014 Detroit becomes something far more dangerous.<\/p>\n
They become complete.<\/p>\n
For now, the Pistons look suited for life without their star. But if Cunningham returns, and is seamlessly inserted into the operation that has grown so much in his absence, Detroit could reach new heights just in time for a playoff run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Detroit Pistons weren\u2019t supposed to look like this without Cade Cunningham. Not this sharp. Not this connected.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":705281,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3773],"tags":[7,296,188,3860,6,297],"class_list":{"0":"post-705280","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-nba","13":"tag-pistons"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116369334483449558","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705280","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=705280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/705281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=705280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=705280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=705280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}