The Pistons have maintained their winning ways recently even with injuries gutting their usual rotations. It’s a testament to their coaching and depth that they’ve had so many bench pieces step up in this crucial time. Their newfound discovery of their bench talent can be the secret ingredient that helps them retain their hold on the East’s top seed.
The Pistons are prepared for the long regular season
The Eastern Conference is lacking a true juggernaut like the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West. If you just look at the standings, the Pistons actually look like the biggest threat in the East so far. But the Pistons’ schedule has admittedly been easy so far and they will have their work cut out for them to maintain the #1 standing.
Finding reliable contributors among their role players has helped the Pistons ride out the current wave of injuries and prepares them better in the future. So far this season, Cade Cunningham is among the league leaders in minutes per game but the Pistons are now seeing that Daniss Jenkins can reliably take some burden off him as a backup point guard. Similarly, Paul Reed has stepped up on both sides of the ball and shown that he can play bigger minutes to preserve his fellow bigs for the playoffs.
The Pistons have seen great development across the roster so far, and the trend will hopefully continue among their rotation players. Having more depth will allow the team to conserve energy for their stars and have more versatility in specific matchups. The Pistons have seen injuries and foul troubles reduce players’ minutes at the worst times in the last two seasons but have now found a way to combat this trend.
In today’s NBA, dominant regular season teams must rely on elite depth. Take the example of the Thunder, who won 68 games last season and have started 13-1 this season. They have a dominant individual superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but have also found other options to take the offensive reins whenever he goes to the bench. They also have an extremely deep cadre of 3-and-D players that allows them to maintain a high octane defense regardless of who’s on the floor.
The Pistons’ physical playstyle is their biggest strength and allows them to dominate the paint on both ends. However, it can also be a risky style of play that comes with a high physical toll and the risk of foul trouble. Fortunately, the team has stumbled into a key for countering this weakness by sheer necessity. The current stretch of injuries has only served to strengthen the team for the rest of this season, rather than cripple them with insurmountable obstacles.