The Pistons have been one of the league's best defenses this season, but still struggle with fouling opponents too much. On Monday night, the problem reared its ugly head again as superstar Cade Cunningham fouled out with over 8 minutes left in a close game. Cade has evolved into an all-around star for Detroit, but it's all for naught if he can't even stay in the game.
The Pistons lead the NBA in fouls
On the season, Detroit ranks first in the league in fouls committed per game at 23.2. Even worse than the overall volume of team fouls is the individual foul trouble for key players. Their rim protectors Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart were often the guiltiest culprits. If those players can evolve to defend without fouling, it can increase their value and set up the Pistons well for the future.
Although the Pistons have had some major changes this season, foul trouble hasn't been one of them. Both Cunningham and Duren are in the top 20 across the league in fouls per game. It's often led to compromised lineups with required substitutes for either or both.
The fouls are excusable when the Pistons are contesting strongly and end up making a little too much contact. Even though these can add up, they often prevent easy baskets and show good defensive hustle. But there are also way too many reckless fouls committed by the team.
The Pistons have a bad habit of hacking or sliding into opposing ball handlers whenever they give up a blow-by. This is a bad habit for any team, but especially one with elite help defenders. Rather than racking up unnecessary fouls, the Pistons need to get themselves into better position or trust their teammates to rotate effectively.
These fouls can also come in a flurry - just look at Cade's recent 6 fouls. He committed all of his fouls in the second half over just 9 minutes of action. In that time, he had 2 different instances of multiple fouls within the same minute. Then, he disqualified himself with two reckless violations: one lazy hack and another blatant offensive foul.
It was a perfect microcosm of the Pistons' overall foul problems. They do a poor job of adapting to how referees are calling the game. And frequent quick fouls will often put the opposing team in the bonus while also forcing individual Pistons to the bench.
Committing frequent fouls may not be as big of an issue in the playoffs, when referees often allow more physicality. But it's a low-hanging fruit that the Pistons should tackle as the season progresses. For a team that plays so many close games, it can be the difference between key wins and losses.