With weeks left in the regular season, the Detroit Pistons are ranked first in the Eastern Conference with a franchise high 13-game win streak, a drastic improvement from just two years ago, when they were dead last league-wide with a record of 14-68. Do the Pistons have a chance of winning it all this year over Western Conference juggernauts, like reigning champion the Oklahoma City Thunder and Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs? The answer is more complicated than it seems.
It’s important to explain why the Pistons are a championship contender on paper before looking at anything else. The Pistons have two all-stars: Cade Cunningham who is averaging 25 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists a game and Jalen Duren, who is averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds on 62% field goal percentage. The rest of the roster consists of veteran Tobias Harris, lockdown defenders Ausar Thompson and Isiah Stewart, shooting specialist Duncan Robinson and a variety of other role players that flesh out the team nicely.
Having the most wins in the Eastern Conference, alongside the all-stars on the team, automatically puts the Pistons in the running for the title. They also show signs of past rosters that won championships with their exceptional defense. As of Mar. 19th, the Pistons have the second-highest defensive rating in the league, the same as the 2004 championship-winning Pistons and higher than the Pistons winning team in 1989,
“I think I am [MVP],” Cunningham said to ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill. “And if you don’t agree with me, that is your opinion.”
Stars like Cunningham and Duren, who were drafted by the Pistons just a year apart, are arguably the best young duo in the league with their signature pick-and-roll to an alley-oop becoming a staple at every game. Many of the core players, including Cunningham and Duren, but also Thompson, Stewart and Ron Holland III were all drafted by Detroit within the last six years giving the team an advantage chemistry-wise.
The Pistons have an average player age of around 24-25 years old, below the average of 26 years old league-wide. The team plays with a lot of grit and physicality, as many young teams do, which is a major component of championship contenders. Cunningham, at 24 years old, is one of the clutchest players in the league, leading the Pistons to a 13-7 record in clutch situations—clutch situations being games within a five-point difference in the final five minutes—as of Mar. 16th.
The Pistons should look out for the Boston Celtics on their road to the finals. As of Mar. 19th, they are ranked 2nd in the East with Jayson Tatum, returning recently from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Tatum’s comeback not only poses a risk to the Pistons but also to the entire league, as they won a championship two years back with a similar roster. Despite this, the Pistons’ overarching stats give them the edge over the Celtics, as well as other potential East contenders like the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks.
The real testament to the Pistons’ talent comes in the Western Conference. The Thunder, who won last year’s championship, are even better than last year with the pickup of Jared McCain adding to their already deep roster. The Spurs, who have a 7’5” Wembanyama who is a very dominant player in every game he plays in and could cause trouble in a possible finals matchup. The other main threat is the Denver Nuggets, who have Nikola Jokic, arguably the best player in the world so far this decade.
Injuries are one of the biggest factors in the pursuit of a title. Just last year, the Indiana Pacers had a historic finals run against all odds, only for star player Tyrese Haliburton to rupture his Achilles in Game 7, leading to the team losing the series. Similarly, the recent news of Cunningham’s collapsed lung could ruin their chances of making a run for the title depending on how long he’s out for. We won’t know when he’s coming back until he’s reevaluated in two weeks.
The Pistons are in an interesting spot right now, because they have what it takes to make it to the Eastern Conference finals and win that series, but when it comes to the NBA finals the dominant West contenders will be exceptionally challenging to beat.
