Pistons' path to a title has one obvious hurdle

The Detroit Pistons have a championship-level defense, but whether their offense can catch up is the biggest question hanging over their title aspirations. 

Things have changed a great deal in two years, as the Pistons went from the worst team in the league to one with legitimate title hopes. No team in NBA history has gone from worst to title in the span of two seasons, but the Pistons are not a fluke. 

They have the second-best defensive rating in the league behind OKC and have been the league’s best defense since January with no sign of relenting. The Pistons have a couple of elite defenders, but it’s more a product of everyone buying in and giving max energy on the defensive end. 

The offense isn’t nearly as bad as some fans make out, as the Pistons are currently 10th in offensive rating, with less than a point separating them from the top five. An offensive surge in the home stretch could give the Pistons the kind of balance championships are made of, but where is it going to come from? 

The Pistons have yet to play their best on offense 

The strange thing about the Pistons being in the offensive top ten is it doesn’t even seem like they’ve had a good season on that end. 

Their offense is largely a product of their defense and dominating the paint, so the Pistons are doing it differently than most teams in the modern era. 

But they could certainly use some more offense, and there are signs that it is coming. 

Ausar Thompson has quietly started hitting mid-range jumpers at a higher clip, which is huge, as he is often the guy who flashes to the middle of the court when Cade Cunningham gets trapped. 

The middle of the floor is there for Thompson to exploit, so an uptick in offense from him would be a big help. 

At some point it feels like Ron Holland II is going to get hot and start making more than 22 percent from long range, or maybe I am just a huge Homer. Holland making 3’s at a higher clip would have a ripple effect if teams have to start paying attention to him out there. 

And we also have the Kevin Huerter factor. He has yet to make much impact in four games but has flashed some of the things he does well, particularly moving off the ball, acting as a connector and hitting a high rate of his 2-point shots. 

The 3-point shot is an anomaly but he’s shooting over 63 percent from 2-point range this season and at least keeps the ball moving. He’s certainly an X-Factor moving forward, especially if he gets back to his career norms from long range. 

The Pistons don’t have to change anything offensively but do need to squeeze a bit more out of what they are already doing. If they can creep closer to a top five offensive team, there is no reason they can’t make a deep playoff run and maybe even do the unthinkable.