The Detroit Pistons crushed the Chicago Bulls for the second straight night for their fourth win in a row heading into the All-Star break.
Things couldn’t be going much better for the Pistons, who have used a stifling defense and hot shooting to carry them to the 6th seed, where they sit alone, just a game behind the Bucks for the 5th spot.
The Pistons are 2.5 games ahead of both the Magic and Heat, and three games ahead of the Hawks with 27 games left in the season.
At this time, the Pistons have the 12th ranked defense, a huge leap from last season when they were worst in the league. It’s been the defense that has been the foundation of this improvement, especially since January 1st, as the Pistons have the 3rd-best defensive rating in the league in that span.
In other words, there is nothing they are doing that is not sustainable, which is exciting. This isn’t some fluke, this is the culture JB Bickerstaff has built.
The Pistons’ offense is ranked 15th in the league, another huge step up from last season. They are top half of the league in 3-point percentage and 13th overall in FG percentage.
But the Pistons’ bread and butter is points in the paint, where they are 7th in the league overall and have been dominating recently with everyone from Cade Cunningham to Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren getting involved.
Their defense is leading to points, as the Pistons are 2nd overall in the NBA in fast break points, averaging 18.5 per game on the break.
It hasn’t just been one or two guys. Every player on the Pistons has a distinct role and has bought into it, and now that Detroit acquired Dennis Schroder, they don’t have a glaring weakness in the rotation.
Is this a perfect team? Of course not, but they have real chemistry, are well coached, play hard and everyone knows their job, so the exact opposite of last season.
It’s been a team effort all around but there are five guys who are riding red-hot hands going into the All-Star break.
Detroit Pistons: Players heading into the All-Star break on a high note
Cade Cunningham
Let’s start with team leader Cunningham, who hasn’t had to be a one-man show of late, a welcome relief. He hasn’t been shooting the ball particularly well but even so he’s averaging 27.2 points, 9.8 assists and 6.8 rebounds over his last five games.
He's been making up for the poor 3-point shooting by getting the the free-throw line (finally getting some calls) at over eight attempts per game over his last five. He's missed one free-throw in that span.
One of the things we haven’t talked about much is Cade’s defensive improvement this season, which has been impressive. To me, his effort on defense has set the tone for everyone else, as you can’t take a play off when your superstar doesn’t.
Cade has developed into a true two-way force and with consistent scoring and shooting around him, he’s tough to stop.
Malik Beasley
What more can you say about Beasley? He’s been the team’s spark plug all season but has been on one of late, averaging 18.6 points on 45.5 percent shooting from long range, where he’s taken over 11 attempts per game over his last five.
He already broke the Pistons' record for 3's in a season (before the All-Star break no less) and is currently 2nd in the league in 3-pointers made just ahead of some guy called Stephen Curry.
He’s a guy other teams have to account for every second he’s on the floor, which has made life so much easier for everyone else, especially Cade.
Beasley is a leader on and off the floor and re-signing him this offseason has to be on the agenda.
Ausar Thompson
Thompson is emerging as this team’s second-best player and showing why people were so excited about him.
The blood clots and missed training camp obviously affected him, so he is just now hitting peak form and it’s been a joy to watch. This kid is going to be a star. I thought it when he entered the league and it’s becoming clearer.
He’s stepped up offensively in more of a playmaking role, but also just gets buckets in a variety of ways that don't require plays to be run for him. He’s averaging 15.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.2 steals over his last five games while shooting an insane 70.5 percent from the floor.
Thompson is amazing around the rim, where he is hitting over 70 percent of his shots on the season. Even forgetting about offense, his insertion into the starting five has been the single-biggest reason for their defensive surge.
His energy and hustle are infectious and he generally makes life miserable for the other team’s best player. Thompson is going to be something to behold once he has a full offseason and training camp under his belt before next season.
Jalen Duren
Duren has averaged 12 points and 11.4 rebounds over his last five games, but it’s his 4.6 assists per game that really stand out.
He’s been used more as a hub on offense and is making nice reads to find cutters, setting up the dribble hand-offs and generally making nice passes out of the short roll.
The effort has been there consistently on defense and Duren is making the Pistons’ decision about his extension this summer a little easier.
Tobias Harris
Lost in all of the excitement lately has been the play of Tobias Harris, who has been rock-solid and often gets overlooked. The Pistons go to him 2-3 times per game when he has mismatches in the mid-post and that play has been a steadying presence when they need a bucket.
Harris has averaged 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game over his last five while shooting 54.8 percent from the field. Coach Bickerstaff likes to set the tone with Harris early, getting him touches in the beginning of the game, and it’s been paying off.
It’s amazing to watch Harris soundly outplay Paul George this season when the former was booed out of Philly and the latter given a hero’s welcome.
Harris has been the calming presence this team needs him to be and a big part of the culture they are building.