Regardless of what happens in the rest of the season, the Detroit Pistons have been one of the league’s best stories this year.
They’ve gone from historically bad to fighting for the playoffs in less than a calendar year and did it without blowing up their roster or making any head-turning additions.
But it’s not just their record and position in the standings that is surprising, as many of the players themselves are doing things no one expected.
Here are the biggest surprises of the season as we head into the final 27 games.
Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley
There weren’t any celebrations in the streets of Detroit when the Pistons signed veteran Tobias Harris,traded for Tim Hardaway Jr. and inked Malik Beasley to a one-year deal.
Let’s be real, most people thought of these players as stopgaps at best, roster filler that would make it easier for Trajan Langdon to evaluate his young core.
But that has not been the case.
Harris has been his normal steady self, adding an element of stability to a young roster. Tim Hardaway Jr., who was viewed as a salary dump, has been a solid starter who has hit big shots and been a leader.
Beasley has been one of the best shooters in the NBA, currently 2nd in total 3-pointers made even though he comes off the bench.
I did think Harris would be good for this team, but honestly didn’t think much of THJ and Beasley, who are on expiring deals that I figured the Pistons would move at the deadline.
But with the Pistons chasing a playoff spot, they’ve proven themselves too valuable for that and both are still on the team post-trade deadline, which I did not expect.
We are now at the point where I am wondering if the Pistons will try to bring both THJ and Beasley back next summer, so these veterans have been by far the most pleasant surprise of the season.
Ron Holland II being ahead of schedule
I didn’t have strong feelings when the Pistons selected Ron Holland II with their third consecutive #5 pick, as I hadn’t seen him play much.
But given his skillset was similar to Ausar Thompson's, there were question marks about how he would fit in and whether he’d even make the rotation this season. Most figured he'd at least spend some of it in the G-League.
Holland has just kept defying those expectations and earned a spot in the rotation in the preseason that he has not relented.
I didn’t expect his offense to be this advanced at age 19, especially when he had the “raw” label on that end. Credit his hard work (and that of Fred Vinson) as Holland already has a passable NBA 3-point shot and has shown a nice bag around the rim.
The descriptions of non-stop motor and possible elite defense have proven to be true and Holland is making a bigger impact than most expected in his rookie year, which has been a nice surprise.
The Detroit Pistons’ defense
JB Bickerstaff sang the same old song when he was named coach of the Pistons: “We are going to bring back Detroit basketball! We are going to build around defense!", refrains we had heard many times in the past.
I just rolled my eyes.
Unlike his predecessors, Bickerstaff has made good on his promise, as the Pistons currently have the 13th ranked defense in the league, up from 30th last season.
They are allowing nearly seven points per game fewer than they were last season, and it’s not as if they added a bunch of defensive stoppers, as Harris, THJ and Beasley are not exactly known for their defense.
Credit has to go to Bickerstaff, who has gotten his team to buy-in and we’re seeing the results, as even star player Cade Cunningham has really improved on the defensive end.
They aren’t in Bad Boys or Goin’ to Work territory, but the defensive improvement has been exciting and is the main reason for the surprising improvement of the team this season.