Detroit Is Running the East Now. Yes, the Detroit Pistons.

Cade Cunningham Is a Superstar Now

We should have seen this coming, but 25.3 points and 9.8 assists per game still feels surreal when you remember where this franchise was two summers ago. Cunningham isn't just good at this point — he's in the honest conversation for the best point guard in the Eastern Conference [1]. His playmaking is elite, his shot creation has leveled up, and most importantly, he's doing it when it matters. The Pistons are 17-3 when he scores 25 or more. He's not carrying a bad team to the finish line; he's elevating a solid team into a great one. That distinction matters a lot when you're trying to project playoff success.

From the Cellar to the Penthouse: How Detroit Got Here

After the 14-win disaster in 2023-24, the Pistons made a pair of moves that didn't exactly generate headlines: they brought in Masai Langdon to run basketball operations and hired J.B. Bickerstaff as head coach. No splashy names. No blockbuster trades. Just a clear-eyed plan to build around Cunningham, instill a defensive identity, and trust the process. The 2024-25 season was the first proof point — Detroit went 44-38, made the playoffs as the 6th seed, and beat the New York Knicks in the first round for the franchise's first playoff win since 2008 [1]. Here's the kicker: it was the first time in NBA history that a team won fewer games one season and made the playoffs the very next year. Now they're in Year 2, and the thing looks even better.

Defense Built This

People lead with Cade's stats, and they should. But if you want to understand why Detroit is for real, watch their defense. This team plays with an edge that echoes the Bad Boys era — aggressive, physical within the rules, and completely locked in as a collective unit [1]. The Pistons jumped from 25th in defensive rating in 2023-24 to 10th in 2024-25. This year they've taken yet another step. Their steals and blocks numbers don't just look good in a box score — they generate transition opportunities that fuel an uptempo offense that's hard to prepare for [4]. This is the kind of defense that travels in the postseason. It doesn't rely on shooting variance or the other team having a cold night. It relies on effort, scheme, and talent — and Detroit has all three right now.

Can They Actually Win the East?

A month ago, most people would have called that question premature at best. Now? I'm not dismissing anything [2][3]. Cleveland is dangerous with Harden running their second unit. Boston has the championship pedigree and won't go quietly. But Detroit has the defense, the point guard, and — maybe most importantly — a roster that's young enough to play with desperation and experienced enough to win close games. The one honest caveat is that this group hasn't been tested in a seven-game second-round series against a true contender. That's where we'll find out what the Pistons are really made of. But if they're playing in June, nobody who's watched this season will be shocked.

We built this without shortcuts.

— J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit Pistons Head Coach

I've been writing about sports long enough to know that turnaround stories can disappear as fast as they arrive. A key injury, a rough March stretch, a bad first-round draw — the narrative flips overnight. But what Detroit is doing doesn't feel fragile. It feels earned. Built through the draft, through defensive identity, through coaching discipline, and through letting Cade Cunningham grow into what he was always supposed to be. That kind of foundation doesn't crack in April. The Bad Boys once put Detroit on the map. This version of the Pistons might be about to do it all over again — and honestly, it's been way too long.