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The Detroit Pistons are no longer a punchline.
They are 34–12, sitting first in the Eastern Conference, ahead of the Celtics, Knicks, and everyone else chasing them. This isn’t a fluke, and it didn’t happen by accident.
There are a few reasons why Detroit have been this good all season.
Leadership is the foundation.
SM Highlights – Cade Cunningham and head coach JB Bickerstaff set the tone every single night. When you watch Pistons games, Cade is constantly talking. You can hear him directing teammates even through the TV broadcast. That has been true throughout his entire career, not just this season. JB Bickerstaff mirrors that same energy on the sideline. The Pistons are organized, vocal, and connected, which is often the first sign of a real team taking shape.
BallersCulture – In my opinion, Cade Cunningham has been the leader and superstar we all were hoping he would be since he was drafted in 2021. In the last 2 seasons, he has elevated the “Worst team in the NBA” to relevance once more, and I sense a dynasty forming.
Clear leaders are what separate the good teams, from the bad ones, and Cade looks like that guy. Averaging 25.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG and a career high 9.7 APG, the entire offense flows through Cunningham. Cade has slowly but surely become that guy, and when I see them lead the East this season, all the years of scrutiny, all the people doubting their plan, including myself in 2023, but it worked.
Defense is the identity.
SM Highlights – Detroit’s defence is aggressive, physical, and relentless. Ron Holland, Ausar Thompson, and Cade Cunningham apply constant pressure on the perimeter. They don’t give you clean airspace or easy driving lanes. If an opponent manages to get by them, they are met at the rim by Jalen Duren or Isaiah Stewart. There are no comfortable possessions against this group. The Pistons make teams work for everything, and that effort compounds over four quarters.
BallersCulture – Most people don’t know that the Detroit Pistons actually rank #1 in the entire NBA in Steals and Blocks as a team, averaging 10.5 steals and 6.5 blocks. There defensive versatility of being able to guard the perimeter and interior, guards and bigs and anyone in between is truly incredible to watch.
Detroit has become that team, especially since they don’t rank that high in offensive rating, ranking only 11th. Their defence is a different story, ranking 2nd, only behind the NBA leading 39-11 Thunder. In the NBA, usually the only thing that matters is scoring, but time and time again, the league keeps proving that it is defence that wins championships.
The spacing finally makes sense.
SM Highlights – Detroit addressed one of its biggest weaknesses by adding shooting. Duncan Robinson gives them a real movement shooter, someone defenses cannot ignore. When Robinson gets hot, he changes the geometry of the floor entirely. Tobias Harris, added in the prior offseason, has also been a steady contributor. He is averaging 14 points per game while shooting efficiently from deep, providing both spacing and veteran stability.
BallersCulture – When you surround a facilitator like Cade Cunningham with shooters, the offence starts to click. As a basketball player myself, spacing also means spreading the floor and being everywhere, that’s why surrounding your star player with not only shooters, but also interior scorers and guys who prefer mid range shots or layups is so important.
Context matters.
SM Highlights – What makes this run even more impressive is that much of this roster overlaps with the team that tied the NBA record for most consecutive losses at 28 in 2023. The core lived through that season. They heard the jokes. They carried the label of being the league’s laughing stock. This turnaround is not just tactical, it is emotional. This group is tired of the narrative and is playing like a team with something to prove.
BallersCulture – When you talk about turnaround franchises, no team screams louder then the Detroit Pistons. They know that this season has to be a deep playoff run, and I agree. The 2004 Pistons were built with this same thought in mind, upset the NBA.
3 years ago, this would be the last team to ever make the eastern conference finals, today, it is almost an expectation. Consistently they match up with some of the NBA’s best, pair that with the dynamic duo of Cade and Duren, I see this team possibly making the NBA Finals. Detroit vs Thunder sounds realistic…
