The Detroit Pistons are in the midst of a bit of a rough stretch losing their four of their last five games and holding a 6-4 record across their last 10 matchups. They've looked vulnerable and some NBA insiders are losing faith.
J.B. Bickerstaff's squad hasn't looked quite like themselves, and only the players in the locker room and the coaches leading the way can sort it out.
Still, as the top seed in the East with one of the best resumes of any contending team in the league, it's clear that when the postseason comes around, Detroit should be considered one of, if not the most likely team to win the Eastern Conference.
If you ask NBA Insider Marc Stein though, he's not willing to put all of his trust in the Pistons just yet, and that's the exact type of bulletin board material that could snap the Pistons' rough patch once and for all.
Pistons should use Stein's comments as fuel
In a recent episode of the All NBA Podcast, Stein made his stance on the race in the Eastern Conference crystal clear.
Not only did he warn fans of the Pistons to temper expectations, but he made it obvious who he trusts the most to come out of the East.
“How can they not be the favorites in the East?” Stein asked. “You know I love Detroit, but again, playoff experience. The Cade Cunningham-led Detroit Pistons have only been in one playoff series.”
Stein finds himself as just the latest person to put a damper on the Pistons' postseason hopes, and in a stretch where the team needs just about every bit of reason to prove their doubters wrong, these type of comments are the exact statements that should motivate the team.
Detroit deserves to be leading the conversation
When talking about reasons why Detroit can't make it out of the East, inexperience is the first thing mentioned.
And while that's a fair argument, this is less than a year removed from the Oklahoma City Thunder winning their first NBA Championship with many players experiencing the postseason for the first time along the way.
The Pistons may be inexperienced in terms of being led by Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, but they have several players like Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson, who have plenty of postseason experience.
Eventually, Detroit will get over the hump, and comments like these are the exact type of fuel that could drive them to do it sooner rather than later.