The Detroit Pistons are surging and even the most optimistic among us didn’t see this coming.
There is a lot of season left to play, but with nearly half of it in the books, the Pistons are two games above .500 for the first time in seven years.
It’s been a combination of brilliant play from Cade Cunningham mixed with strong play from the veteran additions Trajan Langdon made last summer and improvement from every other young player.
The vibes are great, the team has chemistry and is starting to believe. It’s been a joy to watch so far and they have treated us to some entertaining basketball, which is all I ever wanted.
I was cautiously optimistic about the veteran additions of Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. but did question the trade for THJ, as I liked Quentin Grimes and think he’s a better all-around player.
The numbers support it, as Grimes is playing a big role on a good team, putting up better stats than Hardaway Jr. and is the better defender.
A lot of fans felt the same way and I saw plenty of talk about the Hardaway Jr. vs. Grimes debate on social media.
If you read what I wrote, it wasn’t really anti-Hardaway Jr. but pro Grimes and I questioned why the Pistons had to include him in the trade.
It was hardly a scathing hot take, but I’ve changed my mind on the THJ vs. Grimes debate.
Tim Hardaway Jr. vs. Quentin Grimes
This isn’t really a head-to-head debate, as I am going to leave Grimes out of this. He’s a good player who was coming off an injury and didn’t have a clear role in Detroit and there were rumblings he didn’t want to be there anyway.
He's having a solid season and I wish him good luck.
Hardaway Jr. has assumed a leadership role on this team that I didn’t see coming. Watch him on the bench sometime. He’s constantly cheering for and coaching up the young players.
Recently, I watched him nearly throw Ron Holland II to the other end of the court from the bench after the rookie was enjoying his 3-point make for too long and not getting back on defense. Holland snapped out of it and sprinted back to make a play.
These are the little things I’ve seen him do all season. He’s not a star, and certainly has his flaws, but that type of stuff is valuable.
On the court, he’s hitting 38 percent of his 3-point attempts overall, but more importantly, has stepped up and had big nights in the wake of Jaden Ivey’s injury and won a couple of games for the Pistons with his shooting.
On top of all that, the Pistons got three 2nd-round picks, including this year’s from Toronto (currently 34th) for taking on his expiring contract, which they may be able to flip with their cap space for an impact player.
At this point, I am not sure they should, as THJ has brought intangibles to this team along with his shooting that have been a big part of the chemistry and culture they are building.