The Detroit Pistons are 13-2 and in first place in the Eastern Conference, sitting 3.5 games ahead of the Knicks and Cavaliers, the two teams most people picked to win the division.
Things couldn’t have started much better for Detroit, but under normal circumstances, I’d be pumping the brakes just a little, as it’s still November, and they haven’t gotten to the toughest part of their schedule.
But these aren’t normal circumstances.
You can talk about the Pistons’ opponents or how they’ve caught some teams with injuries, but you can’t bring up those things without mentioning that Detroit has been running through these teams with their backups.
I’m never one to get ahead of myself, as there is still a lot of season to go, but there is reason to be excited, as the Pistons have done this without their full team, something that is hopefully about to change.
Detroit Pistons injury report: Jaden Ivey and Tobias Harris are getting close
The team had already announced that Jaden Ivey would be assigned to the Cruise to ramp up for a return, but yesterday, the Pistons revealed that teammate Tobias Harris would be joining him, which means he is also close to a return.
Tobias Harris joined Jaden Ivey with the Motor City Cruise this morning as they work toward returning from injury. Harris was upgraded to questionable on Tuesday after missing nine games with an ankle sprain.
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) November 20, 2025
The Pistons have not had their full team since Ivey went down last January and have not played with even close to their full rotation this season, which makes what they are doing even more impressive.
It’s also bad news for the Eastern Conference, which has not been able to keep up with the Pistons’ backups but will soon be getting the full roster. The Pistons have played 11 of their 15 games against the East and are 9-2, and that was without Ivey and Marcus Sasser for all of it, Harris for most of it and with Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren and Cade Cunningham all missing games.
Key backup Caris LeVert has barely played, and the Pistons have had to rely on guys like Javonte Green and Daniss Jenkins, who have been amazing in larger roles than anyone expected them to play.
That depth is going to serve the Pistons well during a long season when there have already been abundant injuries across the league that have taken out some of the best talent.
The Pistons are essentially getting ready to add two starters to a team that has begun the season 13-2. These are the types of additions teams usually hope to make at the trade deadline to boost their chances in the playoffs, but for the Pistons, it’s just getting their roster back to full strength.
This team has already been beating up the conference, but it is about to a be a nightmare for the East, as their talent and depth will be difficult to match.