The Detroit Pistons have finally arrived. All the years of top five picks, all the losing seasons, all the losing streaks, they’re all truly in the past for these Pistons. They don’t have to worry about being the joke of the NBA anymore.
When you take down the defending NBA champions to win your eighth straight game, you’ve finally turned the proverbial corner. But with Cade Cunningham looking like the star he always was projected to be, it makes you wonder how the Pistons were able to figure it out this season.
Particularly without one of their other budding stars in Jaden Ivey, who hasn’t played since breaking his fibula on Jan. 1. Before his injury, he was averaging just under 18 points per game and starting to come into his own.
So many people are praising the Pistons and rightfully so, they've been awesome, but I have not seen a single person mention that they have been playing for months without Jaden Ivey
— Josh Lloyd (@redrock_bball) February 27, 2025
When it was clear Ivey would miss significant time, no one expected Detroit to somehow play better without him. Despite having some injury problems, this is the most healthy the Pistons have been since the litany of top picks helped reshape this roster.
And the fact they’re doing this without another one of their stars should put the rest of the East on alert of a new playoff threat.
Can J.B. Bickerstaff help Detroit reach the peak he couldn’t in Cleveland?
J.B. Bickerstaff was the best coach the Piston could have hired. The Monty Williams era was a dumpster fire and Bickerstaff was jettisoned in Cleveland after peaking out in the playoffs.
Bickerstaff was a smart hire because when he took over Cleveland, the Cavaliers were in a similar state the Pistons are currently in now. They had injury problems and a young team that was on the cusp of becoming a mainstay in the Eastern conference.
The Piston are not just turning a corner, they’re looking like a team that could contend in the east. Right now, the Pistons are a No. 6 seed. If they string together a strong finish to the season, they could sneak into being one of the top four teams in the east; I know, crazy to think about.
The fact that the Pistons went from drafting inside the top 5 the last five years to potentially hosting a playoff series is remarkable. Just last year, the Pistons tied the Philadelphia 76ers’ single season losing streak with 28 straight losses.
Now they realistically could be a No. 4 seed in the east. Bickerstaff and these Pistons aren’t the same team that feasted on high draft picks. And the scary thing is they’ve figured it out without Ivey playing.
With Ivey back in the fold, it could be the final piece the Pistons need. They had five years to build this roster with young talent and now it’s finally paying off.