It's been two decades since the last time the Detroit Pistons sat on top of the Eastern Conference. Tuesday night's win over the Atlanta Hawks gave them an 11-game win streak and a three-game lead over the second-place Cavs. It also highlighted exactly what's been driving the Pistons to new heights: the partnership between Jalen Duren and Cade Cunningham.
Inside the two-man game driving the Pistons’ resurgence
Cunningham put up 25 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds, orchestrating the offense and making big plays in the clutch. Duren had 24 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, finishing everything around the rim and controlling the interior at both ends. Both were at their best down the stretch, combining for 18 points in the fourth quarter, but we're going to start a lot earlier.
On the Pistons first position, Cunningham caught a high screen from Duren way above the 3-point line, drawing two defenders. The double-team cut off a passing angle to the rolling Duren so he had to swing it to Isaiah Stewart first, but the result was the same: Big man catches the ball right in front of the rim and overpowers the defense for an easy layup.
The Cunningham-Duren pick-and-roll has become elite
Cunningham has gotten plenty of credit for the Pistons' transformation over the past year, but the evolution of Duren, and the chemistry between the two young NBA stars, can't be ignored.
So far this season, Duren is averaging 20.6 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, shooting 67.4 percent from the field. Only four players — Giannis, Jokić, Zion and Deandre Ayton — are averaging more points in the paint per game. Domantas Sabonis is the only player scoring more points per game than Duren as the screener in the pick-and-roll.
His size, strength and leaping ability have always made him an elite finisher, but he's gotten better and better at finding open space, sealing off defenders and changing speeds to create passing angles for his ball-handlers. This dunk comes from a baffling and nonsensical defensive rotation by the Mavericks, but watch how patient he is, waiting for Dwight Powell to turn his head before he dives into the paint.
The other big development is how much more comfortable he looks catching the ball a step or two away from the basket, which is a necessary skill if he's going to be screening for Cunningham so far above the 3-point line. He looks more fluid passing on the move, hitting open shooters in the corner when extra defenders crash down, and much more body control to adjust to defenders and still finish as he flies into the paint.
Duren ranks in the 94th percentile in scoring efficiency as the screener in the pick-and-roll, moving from good numbers in his first three seasons, into absolute elite territory. Cunningham has assisted him on 25 makes at the rim so far this season, the most of any player combination so far this season. They've only played 12 games together, which means just over two dunks a game for Duren, coming off a Cunningham pass.
And becoming a much more dangerous pick-and-roll partner has benefited Cunningham, who is averaging 11.7 points per game as the ball-handler in the pick-and-roll, the highest mark of his career.
And besides their own efficient scoring, their synergy has been a powerful offensive engine to create open shots for their teammates, who are shooting 38 percent on 3-pointers when Cunningham and Duren are on the court together.
What’s next for the Pistons’ emerging offense?
The really scary thing is that the Pistons still have plenty of room to grow on offense. They're just 13th in the NBA in points per 100 possessions and can definitely do more in the possession battle, drawing fouls and protecting the ball.
Jaden Ivey hasn't played yet this year, Tobias Harris and Caris LeVert have missed 14 games combined, and Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland II are both hovering around 30 percent from beyond the arc. This offense has the pieces to be even better, but their ceiling is going to be set by the increasingly devastating pick-and-roll combo of Jalen Duren and Cade Cunningham.