What is the Detroit Pistons greatest strength?

The Detroit Pistons are currently second in the Eastern Conference standings at 12-6. What has been the team’s greatest strength during this excellent start?

The Detroit Pistons are 12-6, 18 games into the season. That’s good enough for second in the Eastern Conference, and puts them as the fourth best teams in terms of win/loss record in the league.

That’s good.

It also raised a question for me. What is the team’s greatest strength? Is it its three-point shooting? Defense? Is it one player in particular?

My take?

It has to be the Pistons’ bench/depth, something the team has struggled with in year’s past.

This is an opinion that I addressed back in late October, and my thoughts haven’t changed–this team’s bench unit is legit.

The Pistons’ bench is currently shooting 45.5% from the field and 35.4% from the three-point line. It also has a plus/minus of 6.5 which is ninth in the NBA.

The Pistons may not have the best players on the court, but its collection of players on the court has been arguably better than most.

It’s a formula that I believe will culminate in an excellent regular season record, though it remains to be seen whether it will yield returns in the playoffs.

This team sort of reminds me of the Toronto Raptors in that regard who have finished as a top tier team in the Eastern Conference over the last few seasons only to miss the NBA finals each time.

Nonetheless, the Pistons record and play to this point has exceeded most of our expectations, which is something to be excited about.

Next: ShamGM Mailbag: Thanksgiving Edition

What do you think the Pistons’ greatest strength has been?