With the All-Star weekend mercifully behind us, the Detroit Pistons can get back to what matters, which is making a run at the playoffs.
To be completely honest, I didn’t watch a minute of the All-Star festivities, as it’s just never been my thing. This isn’t because I’m a grumpy old man who thinks the NBA peaked in the 90’s, but because I just don’t like contests with nothing at stake.
The All-Star game is like playing poker for “fun” instead of money, and no format change is going to help that basic problem. Those who claim the All-Star game used to be some great event are mostly high on nostalgia for something that never existed, as it’s always been mostly a dunk fest that occasionally got competitive for half a quarter.
It’s just not all that entertaining, but if you like it, that’s great! I don’t get why we have to have this stupid debate every year.
Anyway, your Detroit Pistons will enter the final 27 games of the season as the 6th seed with a tough schedule ahead of them, so this isn’t going to be a cake walk into the playoffs.
Every game will matter, and there are five big factors that will play a role in whether the Pistons get to the playoffs.
Health
The Pistons have had relatively good health this season outside of the injury to Jaden Ivey, which turned out not to be all that devastating to their chances even though it was a bummer for fans and for Ivey.
Other than that, they’ve avoided extended injuries and that will have to continue if they want to make the playoffs. The Pistons did get a bit more depth at the trade deadline when they added Dennis Schroder and Lindy Waters III, but they are thin in the frontcourt and cannot afford an injury there.
Taking care of business
The Pistons have a tough schedule remaining but they do have a slate of winnable games against teams in their tier or ones that are outright bad.
The Pistons absolutely cannot lose to the Nets, Jazz, Wizards (x2) or Pelicans, who are all tanking but could end up playing spoiler if the Pistons don’t show up.
They also need to win most of their games against the mid teams like the Spurs, Hawks, Trail Blazers, Heat and Raptors.
Because other than that, every other team on their remaining schedule is headed to the playoffs or trying to get there. The Pistons margin of error for making the playoffs outright is very thin and they can’t afford to lose any of the games in which they are heavy favorites.
Ausar Thompson’s offense
The insertion of Ausar Thompson into the starting five has undoubtedly played a role in the Pistons’ defensive surge over the last month and a half, but lately he’s also been doing it on the offensive end.
Thompson has averaged 15.4 points and 4.8 assists over his last five games, making some beautiful passes along the way. Considering they rarely run plays for him, Thompson’s points are like gravy.
He’s also been taking some of the ballhandling and creation duties off Cade Cunningham’s shoulders, which has been a huge boost to the offense.
The Pistons don’t need Ausar to start jacking a ton of shots, but if he can replace Ivey’s points per game while being a huge plus on defense, then the Pistons will be in good shape.
Jalen Duren’s passing
Duren has averaged 4.6 assists per game over his last five, playing the role of hub at the elbow and top of the key.
This adds another element to the Pistons’ offense and makes him a more difficult cover, as he can put it on the floor occasionally as well.
He’s been great hitting cutters, which is a great way to combat teams that want to sell out by doubling off Thompson.
Duren being part of the offense makes it more dynamic and harder to defend, which again, helps Cade Cunningham.
We know Cade, Tobias, Beasley, THJ et al. are going to do most of the scoring, but if teams also have to worry about Thompson and Duren, it just opens things up even more for the scorers.
The home stretch
The Pistons’ final 10 games are brutal, so how they perform in this stretch will likely determine whether they are in the playoffs or the play in.
Starting on March 25th the Pistons play the Spurs, Cavs, Timberwolves, Thunder, Raptors, Grizzlies, Kings, Knicks and two against the Bucks.
All of those teams but one have something to play for, and the Raptors just traded for Brandon Ingram, so it’s not like they’ll be outright tanking.
You have Wemby, Ant, the two best teams in the league, the surging Grizzlies, Kings, Knicks and Bucks, all teams that are within a game or two of someone in the standings and will be trying to move up or hold their spots.
This isn’t going to be easy and the Pistons are going to have to win some of these games if they want to stay in the mix.