After an agonizing 15-year period of only two playoff appearances, poor drafting and bad team management, the Detroit Pistons now sit comfortably atop the Eastern Conference with a 15-3 record (as of Nov. 27). It took a long time to get here, but for Pistons fans, it’s most definitely been worth the wait.
The 2010s were a dark time in Detroit’s basketball history. Andre Drummond was the best player for most of the decade. Drummond was an all-time rebounder, but somebody who fans got turned off by quickly upon realizing that he couldn’t carry his team to any type of deep season success. The Pistons consistently finished near the bottom of the standings, or even worse, just inside the playoff picture. Then came Blake Griffin in the latter half of the decade. Griffin provided one year of exciting basketball as a member of the Pistons. However, this was short-lived, as injuries and a lack of team success ended that saga in an instant.
Entering the 2021 season, the Pistons were still bottom feeders, except now they possessed the coveted first overall pick in that year’s draft. A pick that, until this point, the team never held, despite their long history and stretch of terrible teams. To nobody’s surprise, they selected Cade Cunningham, a guard out of Oklahoma State University with maximum potential as a tall, skilled ball handler.
Unfortunately, the team built around Cunningham was still one of the league’s worst. In his first two seasons, the team was awful, even amounting to a 28-game losing streak at one point during the 2023-24 season — a record that is tied for the longest of all time. On the bright side, Cunningham was growing into a solid point guard who showed flashes of superstardom during numerous games.
Fast forward to the 2024-25 season, and the Pistons had quietly built a solid roster around Cunningham. Still, the media predicted that the team would finish outside of the playoffs despite their improvements. It took a few months, but the Pistons began turning heads, racking up big wins over teams people thought they couldn’t beat. When it came to playoff time, the Pistons were the sixth seed, a spot nobody predicted that they would be by the end of the season.
Their playoff run, unfortunately, ended early, as they lost to the New York Knicks in six games, despite many having picked the Pistons beforehand. Some believed that they could repeat their magic from the regular season; however, their lack of playoff experience showed during the stretch of big games.
Now, in the 2025 offseason, the Pistons faced some surprising adversity, with the departures of key players like Malik Beasley (due to off-court issues), Dennis Schröder (signed with Sacramento) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (signed with Denver) — all players who looked like they would return to the team after the Cinderella run season they had.
Fortunately for Piston fans, their front office got to work, bringing in new talent in hopes of replacing what they lost. Key moves in the summer of 25’ included resigning Paul Reed and signing Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson — both players that the Pistons hoped would provide stable role-playing around their developing stars.
We’re now in the midst of the 2025-26 season, and the Pistons have blown expectations out of the water. They’re just two losses worse than the defending champion OKC Thunder and sit firmly with the second-best record in all of basketball.
So, what’s going right for the Pistons?
Great team chemistry has been the forefront of their winning. This Pistons team looks like they’re having fun every night. Their on-court cohesion is unlike any other in the league right now, barring the Thunder. Cunningham and Jalen Duren have the best pick-and-roll in the game right now, playing off of each other to the purest form. Duren has been by far the most improved player of the year thus far. Posting numbers of 20.6 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, ranking top five amongst the league’s best rebounders. The Memphis product has been nothing short of dominant, displaying an improved scoring bag that came seemingly out of nowhere. Duren came into the league as a raw talent who was still learning the ropes as an NBA big, but now in his fourth season, he’s come into his own as one of the league’s premier centres. If he can fix some inconsistencies on the defensive end, there’s no telling how far Duren can go this season.
The great big men play doesn’t stop there, however, as the Pistons have two other players who are having great seasons of their own. Isaiah Stewart, the team’s starting power forward, has provided the defence that Duren sometimes lacks. Not only has he provided it, but he’s done it at an elite level. Stewart’s ability to limit creation for the opposing team’s offence has been a blessing for Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff. With a large frame and a high IQ, Stewart is one of the team’s most impactful players.
Though the numbers might not stand out, Paul Reed continues to prove why he’s one of the most reliable backup bigs in the league. Reed is the definition of consistency. He may not play the most minutes in the world, yet he’s always making the right plays, no matter what his role may be for that game. On any given night, Reed can be one of the Pistons’ best players. Take his game against the Chicago Bulls on Nov. 10, where he led his team to a win, dropping 28 points, 13 rebounds and a career high six assists. Reed is a favourite amongst Pistons fans, and although he may not be the flashiest player, he always finds a way to get the job done.
If the Pistons’ defensive pedigree wasn’t already cemented, Ausar Thompson has carved out his role on the team to perfection. Thompson is another one of the league’s top defenders, playing like a modern-day Shawn Marion with his length and awareness. The third-year wing has also continued his trend of improvement, boosting his scoring outputs to 13.2 points and his assist numbers to 3.1 per game. More importantly, he’s upped his three-point shooting percentage to 30 per cent. That’s not great by any stretch, but it’s leagues better than his 24 per cent in last year’s season. Thompson is his team’s best overall defender, and if he can stay healthy, he remains one of the most important assets to this team moving forward. Last year, Thompson was tasked with guarding Jalen Brunson full-time in the playoffs. Barring a mid-season collapse that puts them out of the postseason, Thompson’s role will yet again be to pester the opposing team’s best player throughout an entire playoff series.
Last but not least, the team’s superstar, Cunningham, has made his mark as a premier player in this league. He’s averaging a ridiculous 27.3 points, 9.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game so far this season. If there were any doubters remaining, Cunningham has done everything he needed to quiet them down. As the best player on the best team in your conference, all eyes are directed to you. Cunningham hasn’t let the pressure get to him; however, managing his team’s offence at an elite level. Teams have had trouble containing Cunningham, as his Magic Johnson-like basketball senses make him almost impossible to guard during the course of an entire game. His ability to read defences and consistently make the correct pass leaves teams optionless when it comes to defending him.
Not to mention, he’s virtually unstoppable in the one-on-one, torching any defender that tries stopping him. At 6’6”, 220lbs, with an elite handle and a quick first step, almost every player is a mismatch for him. Cunningham has been nothing short of electric, and if he continues to lead his team to wins, there’s no question he will be featured in the MVP race come season’s end.
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Detroit basketball is back, and it’s an amazing sight to see. With a collection of determined players, a head coach with a chip on his shoulder and a fired-up fanbase, the Pistons organization is going through a high that hasn’t been seen in a decade-plus. If everything goes to plan and their key players can stay healthy, the Pistons could find themselves making a deep playoff run with an MVP on their team.