Sunday’s All-Star Game featured a plethora of terrific moments that showcased what Detroit Pistons’ basketball truly is
Coming into All-Star Weekend, it was clear that the Detroit Pistons would have more of an influence on how the 2026 All-Star Game turned out than in past years. With point guard Cade Cunningham and center Jalen Duren earning selections to the star-studded contest, the Pistons had multiple players in the All-Star game for the first time in nearly two decades.
So, right off the bat Detroit raised its All-Star frequency to another octave, but J.B. Bickerstaff and the rest of the Pistons coaching staff were along for the ride in an instructional capacity to give the entire weekend a Motown feel.
To kick off the All-Star Game, the very first three names introduced to a lively Intuit Dome crowd belonged to the Pistons, and JD was the first player to score for Team USA Stars with a bucket near the restricted area. From that point on, the Pistons-led All-Star squad began to execute a gameplan that was distinctly familiar to how Detroit has operated through 53 games this season. With Bickerstaff actually instructing Cunningham to run plays, Cade worked through the pick and roll at times and utilized Duren in lob scenarios in other moments, both staples of the Pistons offense. But in a role reversal, it was Duren delivering the game-winning assist in overtime for the Stars.
From a team standpoint, the Stars were quick to jump out in transition, and the team seemed to prioritize quality looks as opposed to hoisting up shot after shot from beyond the arc. Cunningham hit his patented mid-range jumper early on, and the Detroit duo’s squad battled on defense with tight man-marking for much of the game. In fact, Cunningham finished with six stocks (steals plus blocks) when the Stars’ three games were finished in what was another stellar two-way performance from the All-Star starter.
After the Championship Game culminated with Cunningham lifting the winner’s trophy for the Stars, Detroit’s other All-Star took a moment to shine a positive light on their head coach in the post-game press conference for the impact he's had on the Pistons' organization as a whole.
"What helped us, and I always say it, was JB,” Duren said after the game. “I give him the majority of the credit. Obviously, you need all parts to come together from front office to players to whatever, but JB coming in, establishing the culture, establishing the expectation and guys buying in, that's what you need. You've got a leader who is passionate and is loving and caring to his guys but sets an expectation in every guy in the building-- not just players, from business side to everyone just buying into what those expectations are and what the mission is, I think that's good coaching."
In his first All-Star Game, Duren was quickly thrust into the immense limelight that comes with the celebratory weekend, but the 22-year old big man took the exposure in stride.
“It’s a lot,” Duren said. “It’s a lot, but I was taking it all in. From appearances to pictures after pictures after pictures after pictures, but it was fun. Everybody doesn’t get to experience this, so being an All-Star is something I take a lot of pride in.”
Fortunately for Duren, the fourth-year pro has Cunningham and his coaching staff to help handle the pressure and all the obligations associated with All-Star Weekend. Cade was in JD’s shoes as a first-time All-Star just one year ago, so the dominant tandem were able to lean on each other throughout the weekend.
In that respect, the bond that the Pistons share is quite plainly one that was borne out of genuine camaraderie and respect for one another. The team’s motto is “Together all the time, all the time together,” and that’s emblematic of the culture that Bickerstaff has instilled from the top down.
“It was awesome to be together," Bickerstaff said. "You know, to be with guys you spend so much time with, but to watch them be celebrated and highlighted for something they’ve earned. This isn’t easy to get here, and it’s just special to be able to sit next to them and watch the kind of respect their peers have for them, that the league has for them and just how they match with their peers. And I think that’s the thing, you always want to be judged and graded by your peers and earn their respect, and I think our guys have done that.”
To that degree, Duren and Cunningham both acquitted themselves well in the All-Star Game, and they both had decisive performances throughout the three games. Duren provided the game-winning assist in overtime as he shoveled the ball to Scottie Barnes for a buzzer-beating three-pointer, while Cunningham operated like the smooth two-way playmaker that he’s proven to be throughout the Pistons’ climb to first place in the Eastern Conference.
But to get to this point of continuity and clear chemistry, Duren and Cunningham have spent a significant amount of time working together, and this relationship has allowed for the two to operate so seamlessly together on the court.
During the post-game press conference, Duren showed another layer of their friendship, a humorous side, when he was asked about his favorite moment from the weekend. After all of the success on the hardwood and the outpouring of recognition that JD received during the weekend, Duren singled out a different moment as his top play, so to speak.
“A personal highlight from the whole weekend? Yeah, it just happened. The off-the-backboard that Cade threw, that was the highlight of the weekend.”
For the sequence Duren referenced, Cade was leading the Stars’ transition attack and thought he had a teammate trailing behind him, so Cunningham tossed the ball off the backboard for, in theory, an alley-oop. But much to Cunningham’s dismay, there was nobody behind him to complete the play, a rare dud among a game filled with Detroit-related highlights.
Since JD went right to this moment for his favorite of the weekend, it shows how close the Pistons are. Assuredly, Duren and Bickerstaff both gave Cunningham more than their fair share of guff for the gaffe, but that’s what brothers do to one another. Friendly ribbing often brings a group closer, and it’s a lot easier to stomach some fun being had at your expense when your squad just won the NBA All-Star Game.
The Pistons train together, win All-Star Games together and also crack jokes on each other all while on the national stage.
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