The Detroit Pistons have hit a rough patch. The East’s top team has lost four consecutive games, and gone 5-5 in its last 10 games. The Pistons’ most recent loss, a 121-110 defeat to the Miami Heat, weakened what used to be a stronghold on the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, a position they’ve held since Nov. 7.
Now, with about a month of the regular season left, the Pistons sit just 2 ½ games ahead of the Boston Celtics, who have been elevated to another level with the return of Jayson Tatum.
After the loss to the Heat, Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff was asked if he and the team were concerned about losing ground against a surging team in the Celtics.
“Everybody goes through, you know, difficult times, or goes through, you know, a little bit of a rut, and we just found ours right now,” Bickerstaff told reporters. “We got plenty of time left to do what we got to do, you know, Boston, obviously is a good team, but we’re not concerned about Boston. You know, our biggest concern is making sure that we’re doing what we need to do to go out and be as good as we possibly can. And we got plenty of time to figure it out, and we will.”
This is the first time all season the Pistons have lost more than two games in a row, but it hasn’t been due to a lack of offense. At least, not entirely. Detroit’s staunch defense has fallen off a cliff during this losing streak, falling to 25th during this stretch from the No. 2 spot they’ve held for most of the season. They’ve given up over 120 points twice during that span, both to the Heat and Spurs, an uncharacteristic development for a team whose calling card has been hard-nosed, physical defense.
“I give our guys a ton of credit for being where we are right now,” Bickerstaff said. “You know, this is the first time, really, this year, that we’ve hit, you know, somewhat of a bump in the road, and it’s good for us, right? The adversity is good for us. It’s only going to bring us tighter together. This group has proven that. So there’s just opportunity for growth, opportunities for lessons, and, you know, we’ll be just fine.”
Should the Pistons be concerned?
While Bickerstaff and the Pistons don’t seem too concerned about the recent losses, it’s difficult to ignore Detroit’s inconsistent offense. It’s been a theme all season, as Cade Cunningham has carried this team to what will be Detroit’s first 50-win season since 2008. When Cunningham’s on the floor the Pistons play like a 63-win team. Their offensive rating is 119.6 when he plays, which would rank third in the league behind only the Nuggets and Celtics. He’s central to Detroit’s offensive success, and when he goes to the bench that offense sputters to 111.6 points per 100 possessions, which is behind the Chicago Bulls and just ahead of the 15-win Sacramento Kings.
The defensive lapses that have happened during this four-game stretch aren’t as concerning, as Detroit has proven more often than not that they can put together a great defensive game. But the Pistons have to find more balance offensively. It can’t just be Cunningham and Jalen Duren alone doing all the heavy lifting.
This offense would benefit greatly from some top-tier 3-point shooting, a weakness the Pistons tried to address by adding Kevin Huerter at the trade deadline. However, Huerter’s playing time has significantly decreased since being traded from Chicago, and so too has his 3-point efficiency. He’s shot just 3 for 20 from 3 in a Pistons uniform so far, though he didn’t fare much better with the Bulls this season (31.4% on over five attempts).
Huerter hasn’t solved Detroit’s 3-point problem, and they still rank near the bottom of the league in 3-point efficiency (24th). It’s an issue that could be their kryptonite when the playoffs come, especially if they face a team that makes a lot of 3s. Like the Charlotte Hornets, who have been climbing up the standings and could very well earn that No. 8 spot in the East. The Hornets are the second-best 3-point shooting team in the league, in part because of Rookie of the Year favorite Kon Knueppel, who looks like the best 3-point shooter in the NBA not named Stephen Curry.
We know defense can win championships, but the Pistons are still going to need a serviceable offense to make it far in the playoffs. If they can’t find more balance on offense, the Pistons could be on upset alert a lot earlier than many people expect.
