It is my opinion that for the first time in several years, the NBA Eastern and Western conferences are fairly balanced. Each has between three and five real title contenders, some wildcards, and a bunch of middling and bottom teams. The Detroit Pistons are still in the latter category, although they are certainly on the rise.
Despite the dominance of players like Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the league is still mostly run by the backcourt. Golden State, Phoenix, Memphis, Miami, Boston, and Dallas are all examples of teams that were carried by talented guards and wings.
Cade Cunningham is one of the most hyped and talented young guards in the league, and Killian Hayes and Jaden Ivey both have a lot of promise. Ivey is yet to prove himself, and at this point, Hayes has been rather lackluster, although sparkles of brilliance are there. Compared to more complete and dominant backcourts in the conference, where do the Pistons rank?
Here is a ranking of the backcourts of the East.
Detroit Pistons: Eastern Conference backcourt rankings
#15: Orlando Magic
Assuming that the Magic stick with their backcourt of Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony, the team could be really good in the near future. Paolo Banchero is the real deal, and the Magic have plenty of young bigs to create a competitive roster soon.
Anthony is a decent scorer and good defender, and Suggs is yet to turn a corner and become an efficient offensive weapon, but with a combined two seasons between the two (Suggs and Anthony were both injured for half of their rookie campaigns), there is a lot of promise. They just haven’t put it together yet, but keep an eye out for them.
Detroit Pistons: Eastern Conference backcourt rankings
#14: Indiana Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton and Chris Duarte are not a backcourt to overlook. Haliburton has become a knockdown shooter from deep and is perhaps the third best player from his draft class. Duarte, in my opinion, has reached his ceiling already, much like Micheal Carter-Williams, although he could have another level.
The Pacers also have wing Bennedict Mathurin will play some at shooting guard as well.
Next season, I think the Pacers will fully embrace a tank and rest Haliburton a lot, giving him less playing time than he deserves. The two are quite young and unproven, and unlike Cade, neither of them are quite elite yet, keeping them near the bottom.
#13: Washington Wizards
Monte Morris will probably be the starting point guard in Washington. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a solid backup, but he’s not anywhere near a top-tier starter. Bradley Beal is one of the best scorers in the league, but has never really been on winning teams. On top of that, neither one of them plays defense. The pair could average 45 points next season, but that doesn’t mean much when they’ll routinely give up 50 to their opposition.
Johnny Davis will try to help, but will probably play a lot of small forward next season in addition to some two-guard.
#12: Cleveland Cavaliers
Ricky Rubio is coming off a knee injury, and Caris LeVert is a solid shooting guard, but his best days are behind him in Brooklyn. Darius Garland broke out last year and squeaked into the All-Star game, but if the Cavs are any good next season it will be thanks to their plethora of tall talents, not the backcourt. If Collin Sexton remains in Cleveland, that will throw a wrench in the whole plan.
The Cavs have decided to go against the grain and play Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Love, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. They have a combined height of over 28 feet, so the backcourt is second fiddle. If it weren’t for Garland’s All-Star nod, then the Cavs would be listed even lower.
Detroit Pistons: Eastern Conference backcourt rankings
#11: Toronto Raptors
Fred VanVleet strangely emerged as a franchise player after Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard skipped town. Good for him. And Gary Trent is a solid shooting guard, but neither of them are superstars. In order to crack the top ten, you need to be a star.
Moving forward, the Raptors will be led by Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam, with a good supporting cast in the backcourt, but I’m afraid that’s all they are.
#10: Milwaukee Bucks
How is a championship team relegated to the tenth spot? Kris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and the Greek Freak are what make them great. Jrue Holiday absolutely embarrassed Devin Booker in the Finals, but he is a below average offensive talent. His defense is great, but Grayson Allen does not help the Buck’s case.
Allen is a decent defender and excellent shooter, but he should not be the starting shooting guard on a team this good. Why they don’t have anyone better is beyond me. The Bucks are one of the rare teams that are totally led by the frontcourt, which keeps them low on this list.
#9: Brooklyn Nets
For the sake of the list, I’ll assume Kyrie Irving plays in Brooklyn next season. He and Seth Curry are a really good offensive backcourt, but there isn’t much defensive talent at all. Both are offensive weapons and deadly shooters, but they face the same issue as the Wizards.
I think Irving is better than Beal, and I know Curry is better than Morris. After such a disappointing season in 2022, it’s hard to rank them any higher than they are, although I wouldn’t be shocked if they return back to normal next year.
Detroit Pistons: Eastern Conference backcourt rankings
#8: Chicago Bulls
Depth helps the Bulls a lot. Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball pair really nicely together. Ball is a solid defender and one of the best facilitators in the league when he’s healthy, and LaVine is able to score 40 seemingly at will. On top of that, Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu can start whenever they’re needed. The odds of this group staying healthy is low, but when you have two legitimate starters (one superstar) and two solid bench pieces, the eighth spot might be a little low.
#7: New York Knicks
You can place the Knicks wherever you want on this list, so long as it’s not in the top five. I love that Immanuel Quickley, Derrick Rose, and Quentin Grimes will get to share minutes. Two solid young players and a beloved NBA veteran and former MVP? What’s not to like? At least they’re fun.
After a big fall-off this season after their playoff run the year before, the Knicks signed “star” Jalen Brunson. I think Brunson is incredibly overrated, but if you disagree you can move the Knicks up on your list. Brunson had an amazing series against the Utah Jazz. But during the regular season he benefited a lot from all the attention defenses gave Luka Doncic. In New York, he won’t have that advantage and I suspect he’ll return to Earth.
#6: Charlotte Hornets
LaMelo Ball is the real deal. He is going to be a superstar. I know he had a lot of naysayers, myself included, but oh man has he proved us wrong. He is a nightly triple double threat and is already one of the best facilitators in the league. He can score from anywhere, despite worries about his jump shot, and he’s a solid defender.
Plus, he makes a highlight pretty much every night.
Terry Rozier showed a lot of promise in Boston, and in Charlotte he is quietly living up to the hype. All the cameras have been on Ball the last two seasons, but Rozier is averaging 20 points on 38 percent shooting from deep. The Hornets have a legitimately good player and a young superstar, so expect them to only move up.
Detroit Pistons: Eastern Conference backcourt rankings
#5: Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham is the real deal. If he gets his shot to go anywhere near his college level, he could average an efficient 25 points with near All-NBA defense. Donovan Mitchell, but better.
I’m not sure what to expect from Jaden Ivey quite yet, but I know it’ll be exciting and full of highlights. His defense isn’t amazing, and his shooting was only okay in college, but he single handedly led Purdue into March Madness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DmDkq7e_f8
In Summer League, he looked great during his limited play, so if he gets to start in the backcourt this team will be electrifying.
Killian Hayes is a bit of a question mark. I want him to be good, he has all the tools to be good, but he is only okay. Yes, he’s an above-average defender and uses his size to crash the boards quite well, but on offense, he is a near non-factor.
His shooting is yet to improve from anywhere, and he looks scared when he attacks the rim. Luckily, he managed to cut his turnovers down a lot, and I suspect his passing numbers only dropped because he lost a major target in Jerami Grant.
I may be a little biased towards the Detroit Pistons, as they are young and unproven, but they have everything they need. The Magic and Pacers are building too, but they are prioritizing bigs and forwards. Detroit’s future is in the backcourt, and if it doesn’t click this year, it will soon. Detroit Basketball is almost back, and Cade and Ivey will be the pair to carry it into the Motor City.
So why are the Pistons listed so high? I think Cade will be better than LaMelo Ball next year, I think the Knicks are frauds, I think the Cavs and Bucks are incomplete, and I think the other young teams are still a step away from being elite. Not Detroit’s backcourt. I think they’re right on track and where they need to be.
Detroit Pistons: Eastern Conference backcourt rankings
#4: Philadelphia 76ers
Was losing All-Star Ben Simmons a blessing? Because Tyrese Maxey suddenly became a better than average point guard, and there were barely any growing pains. Maxey is an above average defender, although he is yet to surpass Simmons in that department. Unlike Simmons, he is a deadeye shooter who connects on 42.7 percent of his threes, the third best in the league.
Speaking of great shooters, the Sixers added James Harden. James Harden is my single most hated player ever, but even I can’t deny that he is a really, really good player. Past his prime, sure, but he could easily average 25 points next year. He’s not a stellar defender by any means, but Maxey can back him up. If you like free throws, this is the team for you, as the first and fifth leaders in free throw attempts are on this team.
Adding All-Defensive shooting guard Matisse Thybulle off the bench makes up for Maxey or Harden’s defensive struggles, and makes them one of the more well-rounded backcourts in the league.
#3: Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are the only team in the East with two All-Star backcourt players. Dejounte Murray is one of the best defenders in the league, and recently became an offensive weapon with the San Antonio Spurs. Trae Young is the best scorer in the league, and has been touted as the second coming of Steph Curry. Based solely on potential, they could be the best backcourt in the entire league.
The Hawks woefully lacked defense in years past, but now Murray can guard the best player on the other team. Not only can Trae Young score from anywhere, but he has three lob threats in John Collins, Clint Capella, and Murray. Whatever the Hawks cobble together next year, it’ll be exciting and should get them back in the playoff picture.
#2: Boston Celtics
Jaylen Brown is a big time scorer, defender, and shooter. Aside from handling the ball, he can do everything well. He is a fringe All-Star every year, and while he has only made one game, I expect him to finish with several throughout his career.
His partner in crime is not the offensive weapon that he is, but defending Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart might be the best pure defending PG since Jason Kidd or Gary Payton.
Either way, this is a team that bounced back from a sub-500 record to make the NBA Finals and push the Warriors dynasty to six games.
Smart and Brown were first and third on the team in scoring that series, and second and sixth overall. It’s no fault of their own they lost. The Warriors are just the better team. A Finals appearance helps their position, although the Celtics backcourt is really that good.
Detroit Pistons: Eastern Conference backcourt rankings
#1: Miami Heat
I consider Jimmy Butler a backcourt player, although if you don’t, I would still put them here. Kyle Lowry is still a top point guard in the league, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson are two of the best shooters in the game right now, and Victor Oladipo, when healthy, is a star.
Oladipo is not yet 30, finally healthy, and back with a vengeance. They also have perhaps the single most intense player in the league: Jimmy Butler.
In the regular season, Jimmy Butler is for sure an All-Star. In the playoffs, he might be the best player on the planet.
Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Giannis are the best two-way players in the game right now. Every single one of them will make the Hall of Fame. Even including the Western Conference, you’d be hard pressed to find a better backcourt.