Play that put the Pistons' elite team chemistry on full display

The Detroit Pistons are proof that Aristotle was right when he said that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. 

Coming into the season, no one would have argued that the Pistons had a playoff-level roster, as it was made up of a bunch of young guys who hadn’t won anything in the NBA, some of whom were being called busts. 

They added cast-off veterans like Tobias Harris, who was run out of Philly, Malik Beasley, a free agent that no one was pursuing and Tim Hardaway Jr., who was viewed as a salary dump when traded from Dallas. 

Even their coach JB Bickerstaff was fresh off being fired, so Detroit entered this season with a hodge-podge team that most people thought would win fewer than 30 games. 

Instead, something magical happened when you put it all together, which is one of the mysteries of team sports, where chemistry absolutely matters, as you only have five players on the court, and they all have to work in symbiosis to be successful. 

In basketball, chemistry is the effect of having players who complement each other and have each other’s backs, on and off the court.  

Egos have to be set aside for a higher purpose, players have to embrace and flourish in whatever role they are given and the guys on the bench have to be just invested as the guys playing big minutes. 

It’s a top to bottom thing and everyone has to buy in, and when it happens, it’s a beautiful thing. 

It’s happening right now in Detroit and there was one play last night that really personified it for me. 

Detroit Pistons’ team chemistry on full display 

Chemistry appears in everything from defensive rotations, to ball movement, to how players react on the bench. 

Cade Cunningham, Tobias Harris and Jaden Ivey were all out last night, but that didn’t stop them from being right there on the bench with their team, cheering them on the whole time. 

We know this isn’t always the case, and that there are guys who aren’t as invested in their teammates as they are themselves, which you cannot say about the Pistons. 

We saw it last night when Isaiah Stewart went behind the back to burn Evan Mobley for a bucket and a foul. Just watch the reaction of the Pistons’ bench: 

They practically had to be restrained from running onto the floor and mobbing Stewart and the bench was that invested all night, from their best player to guys who rarely see time.

The guys who were out weren’t just cheering on their teammates, but coaching them up, helping them out and getting inspired by their play. Tobias Harris called the win “inspirational” in the locker room after the game and he meant it, as this team feeds off each other and celebrates each other’s successes without any ego attached. 

I’m loath to make comparisons to the 2004 team, as the context is very different and they are very different teams, but one area in which the 2024 Pistons are similar is their belief in and support of one another and you can see that belief growing with every stop, every made bucket and every rebound. 

Chemistry matters and when it happens, it’s fun to watch and one of the best parts of team sports. That 2004 title team had it and so does this one.