After a surprising return to the postseason last year, the Detroit Pistons have put up an encore for the ages this season. They have gone basically wire to wire as the number one seed in the East with a 48-19 record.
Cade Cunningham has been playing like an MVP candidate. Jalen Duren has taken a massive step forward in his game and is a favorite for Most Improved Player. Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland, and Isaiah Stewart are elite defensive players that help shape the Pistons’ identity on that end of the floor.
Detroit is looking to carry over its regular season success over to the postseason, especially in a wide-open Eastern Conference. However, over the last couple weeks, it looks like the Pistons’ throne will be challenged.
Detroit has been playing inconsistent basketball during the month of March
Since March 3rd, the Pistons are just 18th in defensive rating. This is especially surprising for a team that has been near the top of the league in that category all season.
Part of the reason has been Detroit has been sending its opponents to the line way too often. They are committing the third-most personal fouls over the last two weeks and opponents are shooting 28 free-throws per game as a result.
Another area the Pistons have slipped in is their rebounding during this stretch. They are near the bottom-ten in offensive rebounds allowed, which has been a problem in spurts this season, but has reared its ugly head lately.
The one worry for Detroit has been its offense, but they have been mostly fine during this stretch aside from a couple rough shooting games. The one concern is when a team keys in on the Cunningham-Duren two-man game, what are the team’s options, and while that has looked bat in certain games, it has not crippled the Pistons yet.
Detroit has been great on both ends during the regular season, but it remains to be seen if this group can realize its playoff ceiling. They have flaws that can be exposed during a seven-game grind, but if there is one thing this group has shown, it’s that they are tough and tenacious.
They have a proven leader in Cunningham, an imposing presence in Duren, and rugged defenders. That may be enough, but time will tell. The Pistons will go down swinging, but they would rather not go down in the first place.