As the NBA regular season comes to a close, we now look forward as postseason play begins.
A team that has rarely seen itself still in contention is our local Detroit Pistons, who are coming off their best season in nearly 20 years. Last season, the Pistons saw themselves as the laughing stock of the NBA, as they finished the year 14-68, which included a historic 28-game losing streak.
However, in a miraculous turn of events, the team added 30 wins to their total this season, good for a 44-38 record and a 6th place finish in the Eastern Conference. This turnaround is good for the 5th most wins added year to year in NBA history, as this young core surpassed all expectations.
This team is led by first-time all-star Cade Cunningham, who officially broke out this season, averaging 26 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds a game. He is currently one of the frontrunners for the league’s Most Improved Player award and looks to be one of the game’s best young players. Alongside him have been a cast of ‘misfits’, as many undervalued veterans were added to the roster this offseason.
Malik Beasley was the team’s second leading scorer, as he put up over 16 points per game while draining the second most threes in the entire league. The most impressive part of this all was that Beasley did this coming off the bench, a very impressive feat that has him up for the 6th Man of the Year award. Beasley is doing this while playing on a 1 year team-friendly ‘prove it deal,’ as he was scooped up by the Pistons when seemingly no other team had interest in him.
Another castaway who has played an integral role in the Pistons’ success is Tobias Harris. Harris was essentially run out of Philadelphia after an underwhelming playoff performance. Most fans clowned the Pistons for giving him a 2 year, $48 million contract this season, with many claiming his agent should be in the ‘agent Hall of Fame’ for negotiating a contract like this. However, Harris has proved the doubters wrong by being a steady force for the team, averaging 14 points and 6 rebounds per game.
Tim Hardaway Jr and Dennis Schroder are others who have been passed around the league, yet averaged double-digit points for the Pistons this season. This ‘underdog’ mentality doesn’t just apply to the veterans, though, as many young players have emerged as superstars in their roles.
Jalen Duren has solidified himself as the franchise’s center of the future while averaging a double-double for the second season in a row.
Before a regular-season-ending injury, Jaden Ivey was looking like Detroit’s second-best player, as he was second on the team to Cunningham in both points and assists.
Other young guys such as Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland, and Isiah Stewart have been the backbone of the team, providing excellent defense and energy while rounding out the rotation.
All in all, every player on the Pistons roster has flawlessly accepted their role and has created quite the underdog story, one that has captivated the hearts of NBA fans across the country and has many on their side heading into the playoffs.
